On Monday, Salt Lake City police released bodycam footage of the officer-involved shooting of a 13-year-old boy after his mother called 911 because the teen was having a mental health episode.
In the disturbing video from the shooting, which took place on Sept. 4, Linden Cameron is seen running from officers and refusing to comply with orders before one of them opens fire at the teenager.
'I Don't Feel Too Good'
"Get on the ground now!" one officer can be heard yelling before another screams, "Pull your hands out!" The first officer then fires nearly a dozen times at the boy, causing him to fall on the ground.
"Show me your hands!" the officer continues to yell at Cameron. "I don't feel good," the boy can be heard saying. "Tell my mom I love her."
The video footage doesn't not shed light on why the officer felt the need to fire at Cameron, who is suffering from autism and was in the middle of a mental health episode due to severe separation anxiety after his mother started going back to work, as previously reported. Police have said after the shooting that they found "no indication" the boy had a weapon on him.
The police also refused to answer any questions during the five-minute press conference about the shooting, which has drawn national attention and raised concerns about the officers' use of excessive force.
Cameron suffered critical injuries to his intestines, ankles, shoulder and bladder, and he is currently receiving treatment in the hospital.
Cameron's Mom Told Officers He was Scared of the Police
Cameron's mother, Golda Barton, called 911 and asked for a "crisis intervention officer" to be sent to her home in the Glendale area of Salt Lake City because her son was "out of control" and needed to go to a hospital for mental health treatment.
Barton told the dispatcher that Linden has led police on a chase before and had previously been in "a shootout" with a police agency in Nevada. She said that her son had showed an employee of hers a fake gun the previous day, and told the officers who arrived that he might have that gun with him, in audio recordings of the 911 call released by the Salt Lake City Police Department on Monday.
She warned the dispatcher, and later told responding officers, that Cameron was scared of police and that a police badge was a "trigger."
A team of officers then arrived at the home and tried to approach Cameron but he ran from the house into the backyard, and then ran into the neighborhood. A short chase ensued before the officer fired his weapon.
None of the officers involved in the shooting have been identified. It wasn't clear whether they had been placed on administrative leave while the incident is investigated, as is standard protocol at other law enforcement agencies. Watch the video below:
(WARNING: The following clip contains graphic images. Viewer discretion is advised).
