Arlington PD: Video shows gunman fired first shots in deadly shootout
The Arlington police chief says the body and dash camera videos just released from last Friday's deadly shootout with a gunman shows who shot first.
The chief says he believes the videos show the gunman opened fire first.
Arlington police say the gunman was about to be searched for weapons after a traffic stop turned into a drug investigation when he took off.
Both the body cams from the officer who was injured by the gunman and the other officer who shot the gunman were released on Thursday.
The short foot chase and rounds of gunfire left an Arlington officer wounded and 20-year-old Tre’Shun Miller dead.
Police released the intense video from both the wounded officer’s camera and that of the officer who, police say, returned fire.
Arlington Police Chief Will Johnson addressed questions raised by Miller's family.
“I think it’s clear on the video that the suspect shot first,” the chief said.
The relatives watched the video privately before the Thursday news conference and left without making any comments.
Earlier this week with their attorney, Justin Moore, the Miller family said they believe it is possible that one or more officers fired first while Miller was running away and that Miller fired back in self-defense.
Moore, who also watched the footage, believes the video doesn’t immediately answer the question.
"One of the backup officers gets Tre’Shun out of the car. As soon as he asks Tre’Shun to get out of the car, Tre’Shun begins to flee,” Moore said. “As he's fleeing, looking at that officer's body cam, you can't see who pulled their gun first and you can't see who fired shots first."
Chief Johnson says there is no evidence the wounded officer fired his gun at all. And from his body camera, there does not appear to be a gun in his hand during the foot chase up to the point where he is shot and wounded.
On the second officer’s camera, shots can be heard before he fires several rounds and Miller collapses.
Miller was the front seat passenger in a vehicle with three others, including a female driver, pulled over for failing to signal a lane change. Court documents reveal Miller was out of jail on bond on charges including drug possession and evading arrest. He had upcoming court dates that included a plea deal to serve five years in prison.
Police say the traffic stop transitioned to a drug investigation because officers smelled marijuana inside the car. Search warrant documents show marijuana was recovered from the vehicle.
Moore says he believes Miller tried to run because he was afraid of the police.
“I think it’s clear that he ran because he was afraid,” Moore said. “Arlington PD said they're going to do a ballistics report and they're going to send all of that to a grand jury. So hopefully once they finish all of their investigation, we will get a clearer understanding of what happened that night."
"Criminal investigators are investigating the acts and behavior of all persons at the scene to determine if their conduct was lawful or if criminal charges are appropriate,” Johnson said.
It will ultimately be up to a Tarrant County grand jury and internal affairs to determine if any officers involved did anything wrong.
Arlington police say it is yet to be determined of the three other occupants could face drug charges.
Detectives also want to know where Miller got the gun since he was 20 years old and not able to buy one on his own legally.
The officer wounded in the shootout was released from the hospital Monday. The chief says he faces a long road ahead.