Maricopa police release body-camera footage of fatal police shooting
The Maricopa Police Department released edited clips of body-camera footage Tuesday afternoon depicting a fatal police shooting that killed Lawrence Knudsen, 56, last month.
On March 27, officers were dispatched to a neighborhood near Robbins Drive and Mac Neil Street around 7:50 a.m. after Knudsen called 911 and said he wished to harm himself, police say.
The department also released audio of the 911 call where Knudsen tells the operator that no one was listening to him.
“I’m about to put a bullet in my head,” Knudsen tells the operator before hanging up.
Police say the operator called and spoke with Knudsen multiple times, calling him back whenever he hung up.
Knudsen eventually told the operator he doesn’t intend to harm law enforcement.
“I’m not looking to hurt any cops,” Knudsen can be heard saying in the recording.
Knudsen later informs the officer that he’s at home and armed with a handgun. The operator asks Knudsen if he can move away from the gun, he says no. When asked why, he says “Because I’ve had enough.”
When the operator asks Knudsen to stay on the line, he replies, using an expletive, “Nah. Just bring ‘em.”
Knudsen warns officers he will be confrontational with them if they try to harm him. The operator tells Knudsen the officers are there to help him. He then tells the operator to have officers meet him by his pick-up truck — which he previously said was where his gun was located — and tells the operator he would keep his hands in front of him.
Three officers in three patrol cars approach the area as Knudsen asks the operator which direction they’ll arrive from. The operator tells Knudsen she can’t tell him that and that the officers need to ensure the situation is safe before they approach.
Snippets of body-camera footage show Knudsen later walking toward officers with his arms outstretched. The officers shout multiple orders for Knudsen to back away, which Knudsen appears to ignore.
“Come on, let’s do this.” Knudsen can be heard saying. “I’m doing this.”
An officer the department identified as “Officer Nye” deploys a stun gun on Knudsen while another officer named “Officer Nylander” shoots him multiple times. Police said Nylander did not have her body camera activated during the shooting but did not specify why.
Body-camera footage from Nye and an “Officer McCorry” shows Knudsen collapsing almost immediately after being shot and stunned. Officers later found Knudsen was holding a vape pen in his right hand and a cell phone in his left.
Officers performed life-saving measures on Knudsen before he was taken to a hospital where he later died.
The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office is leading the criminal investigation into the shooting while the Maricopa Police Department is conducting a separate, administrative investigation to determine whether officers followed policy.
Sgt. Hal Koozer, a Maricopa police spokesperson, said on early Tuesday afternoon that the department would release “complete video and audio files related to this incident within 24 hours.”
Reach the reporter Perry Vandell at 602-444-2474 or perry.vandell@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @PerryVandell.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Maricopa police release body-camera footage of fatal police shooting
