Video shows frantic gun battle with officers outside prison

By means of Henry Hollis

Source The Atlanta Journal Constitution

The Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office has released a heavily edited but detailed video that provides context around an Oct. 7 incident in which officers exchanged gunfire with a gunman in their own parking lot.

Emmanuel Patrick Bearden, 44, of Peachtree Corners, was taken to the hospital after he was shot by officers early last month, the GBI said. The incident was captured on video from several angles thanks to security cameras at the sheriff’s office and body-worn cameras used by officers. The video shared by the sheriff’s office on Monday combines video clips from multiple different sources to show how the shooting occurred.

“The released video has been edited with highlights that highlight key moments of the incident, with blurring applied to protect the integrity of this ongoing investigation,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

The video begins with Bearden arriving at the jail, where the sheriff’s office said his behavior seemed strange. He can be seen wearing body armor as he speaks to officers just inside the facility’s door. He is accompanied by his young daughter, who is wearing a T-shirt and diaper.

Officers stopped Bearden before he passed through the secure entrance, where visitors had to walk through a metal detector and put their belongings through an X-ray machine. Bearden appears to tell the officers that he is there to press charges against his mother, accusing her of hiring bounty hunters to kill him. He quickly becomes irritated, raising his voice and apologizing when a deputy tells him to calm down. Bearden then claims that his mother abused his grandfather.

The video then cuts to Bearden leaving, after which he picks up his daughter as he continues talking. The faces of Bearden and his daughter were obscured by the sheriff’s office, so it is not clear whether he was speaking to his daughter or a deputy when he said in a relatively cheerful tone, “Don’t look at me like that.” Feeling squirrely, buddy?

After Bearden returns to his car, a security camera captures him putting his daughter in the backseat, then walking to the front passenger door and pulling out a shotgun.

Officers respond by moving citizens to the back of their office and taking cover. Bearden holds his hands above his head for a moment, then grabs his gun from the top of the car and takes cover behind it. The video does not make it clear what caused Bearden to suddenly shift into a combative stance.

Several video angles show officers surrounding Bearden and exchanging gunfire with him. The video also shows the efforts officers took to keep the public out of harm’s way when shots were fired.

Officials previously said Bearden’s daughter was not injured and was released to family members. His injuries were considered critical when he was taken to the hospital, but the sheriff’s office did not provide an update on his condition. He has not been booked into the Gwinnett jail.

The GBI is conducting an independent investigation into the shooting.

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