Body camera video shows that a man shot by a Louisville Metro Police officer Wednesday was unarmed and fired upon almost immediately after she told him to put his hands up.

Chief Steve Conrad said after the video was released Thursday that he is reserving judgment until the completion of an internal investigation.

Meanwhile, 38-year-old Bruce Warrick remains in critical condition at University of Louisville Hospital.

Warrick was shot in the gut when three officers searched an abandoned house about 11:30 a.m. in the 2600 block of Magazine Street, Conrad said at a Thursday news conference. They were called to the house following reports that a man was using drugs outside and then went in the house.

Video shows the officers identified themselves multiple times as they moved through the house.

Officer Sarah Stumler's body camera shows she approached a box spring leaning against a wall. As she looked behind the box spring, Warrick is seen in the video standing in the shadows. Stumler yelled, "Show your hands," and raised her gun from her side.

Almost immediately, she fired once, then said, "Shit."

While the officers waited on an ambulance, they stayed beside Warrick and applied pressure to his wound. Stumler can be heard saying, "You're fine, man," and, "You're OK, just hold on."

Warrick remained conscious and was audibly in pain in the videos.

No weapon is seen and Conrad said Thursday that none was found in a search of the house.

Warrick underwent surgery to remove parts of his intestines and pancreas, according to activist Christopher 2X, who said he was speaking on behalf of Warrick's mother and grandmother Thursday at the hospital.

"He's in very, very serious condition," 2X said.

“People want answers, people want to hear what really happened, and we want everyone to be as transparent as possible.”

One of Warrick’s cousins and 2X viewed the body camera footage with Public Integrity Unit investigators Thursday afternoon. The unit is tasked with determining what happened and whether the use of force was justified.

The cousin appreciated being shown the body camera video “but felt nothing he saw gave him any indication that his cousin was posing a threat to the officers in the room,” 2X said.

Stumler, who has been with the department since February 2009, is now on administrative leave with her police powers suspended pending the completion of the investigation, per department policy.

Source: TheRoot.com

Date Posted: Friday, March 3rd, 2017 , Total Page Views: 2822