VIDEO: Dallas Officers Shoot Man Wielding Screwdriver
A newly released video of a 2014 fatal shooting by Dallas police shows the moments that led to a mentally ill man’s death as he held a screwdriver.
Two Dallas police officers shot Jason Harrison, 38, at his home on June 14. Police said at the time that Harrison’s mother told them he was making “violent threats” and that Harrison, who was armed with a screwdriver, became aggressive when the officers ordered him to drop it.
But Harrison’s family and their attorney, Geoff Henley, released the video saying they believe it should spark reforms for policies and training on how police interact with the mentally ill. Also, they said officers should have first tried less lethal force on Harrison, such as pepper spray or a Taser.
“This is a perfect video for the Dallas Police Department to use in training as an example of what not to do,” older brother Sean Harrison told the Dallas Morning News. “You don’t yell at them — that only agitates them.”
But the officers who shot Harrison feared for their lives, said their attorney, Chris Livingston.
Harrison’s family obtained the video from the department as evidence in a federal civil-rights lawsuit they filed in October.
