Video shows Kansas City police confront Malcolm Johnson in gas station before shooting
A group of faith leaders in Kansas City on Tuesday released video footage they say captures events inside the gas station where Malcolm Johnson was fatally shot by police on March 25.
The faith leaders, led by Darron Edwards of United Believers Community Church, the Rev. Emanuel Cleaver III, senior pastor of St. James United Methodist Church, and Ron Lindsay of Concord Fortress of Hope Church, said the video contradicts the version of events given by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
The highway patrol has been in charge of the investigation since Johnson, 31, was shot and killed by a police officer in the gas station at 63rd Street and Prospect Avenue. At the time of the shooting, the patrol said officers were arresting Johnson in connection with a previous shooting, there was a struggle, and he shot an officer in the leg before the wounded officer shot and killed him.
The group said they tried to bring the video to law enforcement but were dismissed. So they decided to hold a news conference and release the video.
“What I saw was an execution, Edwards said. “We stand on a moral obligation. We want to demand change and we demand it now.”
Cleaver said all four police officers involved in the shooting should be immediately fired and criminally charged.
The video does not show the shooting itself. But the faith leaders said it, and other facts surrounding the shooting, showed the initial account given by the highway patrol was not accurate.
The video
The two minutes and 28 seconds of surveillance video shows two uniformed Kansas City police officers with their handguns drawn approaching a man dressed in a hooded jacket standing in front of the check out window inside the gas station.
The man, who faith leaders said is Johnson, 31, is seen standing at the counter. He scratches off a lottery ticket, then passes it to the store clerk.
He then turns around as the two officers in uniforms immediately appear to grab his arms, their guns drawn. The man looks like he breaks free briefly, takes a few steps forward, as if he’s trying to run, before the video shows what appears to be the officers pulling him away from the gas station door.
The struggle between the officers and the man continues as food items stocked on shelves are kicked on the floor.
Two more officers enter the store and try to help restrain the man, according to the video. The camera angle only shows the man’s feet as he continues to struggle with the officers.
A female sergeant enters the store and talks on her radio. No audio accompanies the video.
The man and officers stay mostly out of the camera’s view, their feet still visible, for about 80 seconds before the video shows what appears to be an officer who is wounded in the leg being rushed out of the store by the sergeant and two other officers.
Patrol account
At the time of the shooting, the highway patrol said two Kansas City police officers had gone inside the gas station and tried to arrest Johnson when “a fight, a struggle ensued.”
The patrol said Johnson drew a handgun and shot one of the officers in the leg as two other officers arrived on the scene to assist with the arrest.
The wounded officer returned gunfire, fatally wounding Johnson, the spokesman said.
Johnson was pronounced dead at a hospital. The officer was treated for his injuries and released from the hospital several days later.
The Rev. Emanuel Cleaver III, senior pastor of St. James United Methodist Church, said the video shows something different than what was initially reported by Missouri State Highway Patrol.
“The officers entered the store with guns drawn, which put everyone in the store in danger,” he said. “They reported that a fight ensued, but the video shows Malcolm trying to run.”
The pastors said the video and the circumstances indicate Johnson was restrained when he was shot. They said photos obtained by the family show Johnson was shot in the head.
‘Demanding justice’
The Rev. Darron Edwards, a leader with Getting to the Heart of the Matter, a group of local faith leaders who have been cooperating with the Kansas City Police Department, described the shooting as an execution.
“We do believe in police, but we do not believe in this kind of policing,” Edwards said. “The culture, the conditions and the climate of Kansas City must change.”
“Why would you shoot someone in the head while they are on the floor? Regardless of the sound quality and the video not showing the actual shots, it is clear that the report does not match the video,” Cleaver said. “We are demanding justice.”
If the officers are not fired and charged, he said, the pastors said, they are prepared to go to the U.S. Department of Justice.
“We are making those demands and will not stop and we’ll gather the community together peacefully, to do whatever we can to make sure that just happens on behalf of Malcolm Johnson,” Cleaver said.
Capt. Leslie Foreman, a spokeswoman with the Kansas City Police Department, said in response to questions about the news conference that all inquiries into the shooting should be directed to highway patrol.
Sgt. Andrew Bell, a spokesman with highway patrol, said Tuesday that he had not seen the comments from the faith leaders, and could not comment on what they said. Bell added that the patrol welcomes any evidence from the public.
