DENVER, COLORADO: A terrifying bodycam video shows the moment a Denver cop fatally shot a man who appeared to lunge at her with a knife — while a young child stands just feet away in the line of fire.
According to body camera footage released on Monday, the Denver police officer who shot and killed an unarmed man earlier this month during an alleged domestic violence incident thought the man was carrying a knife, but he was actually only holding a black marker.
Who was Brandon Cole?
Officers can be seen repeatedly yelling at Brandon Cole, 36, as he pretends to have a weapon, which later turns out to be a black marker.
Cole's wife and son witnessed the deadly confrontation, as did an unrelated woman and child who walked right past the female officer pointing her weapon at the suspect and yelling at him to show his hands.
The adult and child, who appear to have frozen, are commanded by the officer to "Move! Move!" as Cole passes by them.
After being tased, Cole lunges at her as the officer steps back and fires; the child can be seen standing behind him as the officer's body hits the ground.
The officer radios in, "Shots fired," and the woman and child stay motionless while staring at Cole lying on the ground with blood all over him. According to Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas, the unnamed officer had no choice but to fire and probably didn't see the adult and child.
Thomas said, “You can see in the video that when she finally deploys her duty weapon, the person is so close to her that the view of the young child and other person are not even clear to her. Certainly that was a consideration, but there was not much time to act before she was overrun by that individual.”
The tense bodycam video starts when two officers respond to a call about domestic abuse at 7.56 pm on August 5 and arrive at the 2300 block of West Cedar Avenue.
Cole's wife, who is seen getting out of her wheelchair and sitting on the sidewalk next to her son, asks the officers not to point a gun at her husband right away, and the female officer inquires as to whether she requires medical attention.
Cole interrupts their conversation by getting out of his car, slamming the door, and taking an "aggressive stance" while taunting them, according to the police. The two officers warn Cole to stay put as his wife yells at him.
What did Brandon Cole say?
Cole shouts at the officers while appearing to grab something from his back pocket. "Pull it out! Let’s go. F–k that.” He is ordered to stand down by his wife as well as the police, with the female officer pleading, "Hey, Brandon! Look at me! Stop!"
The other adult and child then enter the frame. Cole lunges at them before the cop shoots him with a stun gun, despite the female officer's repeated requests for him to stop.
The adult and child are only a few steps behind Cole as he appears to disregard the taser and runs straight at her while holding something in his hand. The officer yells "don't!" once more before firing.
When the officer, who has not yet been publicly identified, reports the shooting, Cole's wife can be heard yelling in the background screaming.
Did Brandon Cole have a weapon?
Although the responding officers radioed that they thought Cole had a knife, police later discovered that he was actually holding a black marker that he was using "in a threatening manner," as reported by New York Post.
Was the Denver officer acting legally?
The Denver District Attorney's Office is investigating the shooting to determine whether the officer, who has been on the force since 2019, acted legally when she fired at Cole.
The caller claimed Cole pushed his wife out of her wheelchair and was "going after" his son before police arrived. Thomas added that police are still looking into the domestic violence claim made against Cole.
The chief reported that Cole's wife had opted out of providing police with a statement.
