The Atlanta Police Department on Friday released surveillance footage of the moments before two plain clothes detectives shot and killed a man as he drove away from a government administrative building last month.
Deaundre Phillips, 24, was shot and killed by Atlanta police officer Yasin Abdulahad on Jan. 26 in the parking lot of the Atlanta Public Safety Annex, local reports said. Police said the shooting occurred after Abdulahad and another plain clothes police detective were walking across the parking lot to the Annex to conduct administrative duties.
On the way to the building, the officers “smelled an odor of marijuana and approached a vehicle from which it was apparently emanating,” Atlanta police said after the shooting. The officers questioned Phillips, who stepped out of the car before lunging back into the vehicle and speeding off while Abdulahad was half inside the passenger side door, police said. Abdulahad shot Phillips, who died at the scene. A gun was found in Phillips’ vehicle, police said.
The footage released Friday showed the car speeding away after the officers approached the vehicle. Phillips can be seen driving his car out of the frame of the video before the shooting occurs, but because of the position of the camera, it’s unclear if Abdulahad was actually hanging outside the car as police claimed.
Police showed the video to the Phillips family before releasing the footage Friday.
“The family of Deaundre Phillips is relieved that the Atlanta Police Department has decided to release video that shows the last moments of his life,” the family’s attorney, Chris Stewart, said in a statement Thursday. “After watching this video for themselves, Deaundre’s family feels even more strongly that justice will prevail in this case.”
In February, hundreds of protesters marched to the Atlanta police building demanding the department release video of the incident and the name of the officer who killed Phillips. Police released the name of Abdulahad, an 11-year veteran of the force, on Feb. 15.
Police originally said that Phillips had a lengthy rap sheet and gang affiliations. Phillips family denied the claim. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said public records showed Phillips was arrested in 2014 for speeding, driving without a license, cocaine possession and additional drug charges. The paper said it was unclear how that case was resolved. The Journal-Constitution also reported that the Atlanta police department didn’t respond to requests for details on Phillips’ alleged gang affiliation.
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