Family of Colorado man killed by police demands answers after video shows him being rammed by squad car

The household of a Colorado man who was seen on safety video being struck by a squad automotive earlier than he was fatally shot by police is demanding solutions in regards to the circumstances of the person’s demise.

Stephen Poolson Jr., 41, died Feb. 2 after an unnamed Littleton Police officer rammed a squad automotive into him, chased him on foot and shot him after a report of a “suspicious car,” in accordance with safety video obtained by NBC affiliate KUSA of Denver, info launched by the Littleton Police Division and the Arapahoe County Coroner’s Workplace.

The 13-second video obtained by KUSA exhibits Poolson being knocked off his bike after he was hit with the police car. Poolson then runs behind a constructing and the officer runs after him; each are then obscured from view.

The video complicates the preliminary narrative released by police, during which they mentioned that Poolson “was driving a motorbike and crashed” shortly after 1 a.m. after which ran and pulled a gun, which prompted the unnamed officer to fireside at him. Police mentioned he had been transported to the hospital in unknown situation.

The report didn’t point out that the police officer crashed into Poolson close to the intersection of South Bannock Road and West Powers Ave in Littleton, a metropolis about 11 miles south of Denver.

“They are saying one factor, and it’s one thing fully completely different,” Poolson’s sister Shannon Wicker, 37, mentioned Friday. “Till we see all of the details, we do not know what to suppose.”

Police introduced that “the suspect is deceased” simply after 5 a.m. Feb. 2 and recognized him simply after 11:45 a.m. the following day, including that the investigation was ongoing.

Poolson died of accidents from gunshot wounds to the neck, stomach and higher and decrease extremities, in accordance with a spokesperson from the coroner’s workplace, who added that there have been no indications of blunt-force accidents in keeping with a automotive crash. The demise is assessed as a murder, the spokesperson mentioned, including {that a} toxicology report is pending.

Wicker and Stephanie Poolson mentioned they need extra info from police about their brother’s demise. They’re calling for physique digital camera or prolonged surveillance footage that exhibits the officer’s and Stephen Poolson Jr.’s actions previous to the crash; a proof for why he was struck with a automotive; particulars about why the officer believed that Poolson had a gun; and an account of how the taking pictures unfolded.

“I do not know whether or not we have now sufficient info to know whether or not police dealt with it precisely or not,” mentioned Stephanie Poolson, 43. “I feel him getting hit [by a car] just isn’t proper.”

Wicker mentioned she wish to know what the officer was pondering.

“I wish to know why he hit him, I wish to know why it was essential to take his life,” Wicker mentioned.

Wicker mentioned her brother had schizophrenia, a psychological dysfunction that impacts how individuals interpret actuality, according to the Mayo Clinic, which she mentioned could have impacted his response to the officer.

The Littleton Police Division didn’t instantly reply to questions from NBC Information Friday.

A spokesperson for the police division informed KUSA that the preliminary info police launched was “very preliminary” and “essentially the most correct info that LPD had on the time.”

The officer concerned has been positioned on administrative go away, per division protocol, KUSA reported, and several other legislation enforcement companies are reviewing the incident.

Stephen Poolson Jr.’s obituary describes him as “the lifetime of the get together” with a “distinctive humorousness,” and notes that he liked bikes, boats and the New Orleans Saints.

Wicker mentioned her brother was attempting to go away Colorado to “be round completely different individuals.” She discovered a pocket book during which he wrote about the potential for going to varsity.

“I do know they want time to research,” she mentioned “however I must see the footage myself to imagine what occurred to my brother.”