Colorado Springs police release body cam footage in fatal shooting of De'Von Bailey

The Colorado Springs Police Department on Thursday released body camera footage of the Aug. 3 officer-involved shooting of 19-year-old De'Von Bailey.

The video shows two officers -- identified as Sgt. Alan Van't Land and Officer Blake Evenson -- approach Bailey and order him to put up his hands before shots were fired.

Footage released Thursday--13 days after the fatal shooting--comes earlier than authorities have released footage in the past. In five instances in which city's police used deadly force over the last 18 months, body cam footage was released no earlier than two-and-a-half months after the incident and coupled with the DA's ruling.

Nationwide, police have been more responsive in the release of video evidence and the names of officers involved. Such was the case, earlier this month, when an officer in a Dallas suburb killed a woman lying in the grass while trying to shoot at a dog that was charging at him. Authorities released footage from that shooting less than 24 hours later after it happened.

The death of Bailey--who was the fifth person killed by Colorado Springs police officers this year--angered many in the community and prompted downtown rallies. Crowds demanded justice for Bailey, who witnesses claim was fatally shot in the back after officers fired as many as seven shots.

Two days after the shooting, more than 60 people marched from City Hall to the Police Operations Center, at 705 S. Nevada Ave., decrying police brutality and racial discrimination. The rally remained nonviolent until twin bail bondsmen brandished their guns at the crowd. Officers handcuffed the bondsmen while police in riot gear were called to disperse the protesters.

Tensions between police and the community escalated later that day after The Gazette released surveillance video, which captures Bailey's final moments as he flees from police. In the video, Bailey runs four or five steps into the camera's view before he tumbles to the ground. Two officers walk over to him from the direction he came with their weapons drawn.

Officers, who were responding to a reported armed robbery nearby, said Bailey was fired upon after he reached for a firearm, according to the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, which is investigating the case. Additional details were not released, citing an ongoing investigation.

Experts who watched the surveillance video for The Gazette were torn as to whether the shooting appeared to be justified.

John Burton, a 40-year lawyer and former board president of the National Police Accountability Project said Bailey would have to be using or threatening to use a weapon--which he did not see on the video--in order for officers to justifiably shoot.

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