Salaythis Melvin, 22, was shot by Deputy James Montiel outside the Florida Mall in Orange County on August 7. He later died in hospital.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday released six body camera videos capturing the incident, but none clearly shows whether or not Melvin was armed at the time.
The videos released on Tuesday were from the body cameras of six different deputies who were at the scene, according to ClickOrlando.com. None of them were from Montiel’s point of view.
Brad Laurent, an attorney representing the Melvin family, told the Orlando Sentinel that the sheriff’s office informed him that Montiel did not have body camera footage from the shooting. It’s not clear if that means he was not wearing a body camera or it was not activated at the time of the shooting.
The sheriff’s office did not respond to Newsweek’s query about whether or not Montiel was wearing a body camera at the time.
All six of the videos have no audio for the first 60 seconds, which the sheriff’s office says is because body cameras start recording audio only when they are activated, but capture video for 60 seconds prior.
The only video that captures the moment Melvin was shot was captured on the body camera of an officer driving through the parking lot.
Melvin is seen through the vehicle’s front window falling to the ground as he is shot while running.
Later, several officers are seen surrounding him with their weapons drawn, with one telling him to “keep your f***ing hands out.”
“Stop moving!” an officer says. “Get your fing hand out! Get your hands out or you’re gonna get fing shot!”
Melvin, lying face down on the ground, doesn’t respond.
Deputies are seen handcuffing Melvin, who can be heard moaning, before rendering first aid. They are later heard mentioning several times that Melvin had been shot in the back.
A spokesman for the sheriff’s office confirmed to Newsweek that Montiel has been placed on temporary administrative leave while an investigation is underway, as per protocol.
The sheriff’s office said it released the footage after being notified on Tuesday that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s (FDLE) initial review in the investigation was complete.
When the FDLE’s investigation is complete, officials will turn their findings over to the State Attorney’s Office for review. The sheriff’s office said it will also complete its own internal investigation.
In an earlier news release, the sheriff’s office said the shooting occurred as deputies were surveilling a felony suspect wanted in connection with a gang-related shooting that took place in Pine Hills on July 7.
They said when deputies made contact with that suspect and others outside the mall at around 12 p.m. on August 7, three surrendered while Melvin ran off, armed with a loaded stolen handgun.
According to a report by deputies, Melvin had run from Montiel with his right hand on a handgun in his waistband, the Sentinel reported.
Montiel shot him after Melvin “turned his head” towards the deputy “while still holding his firearm” which made Montiel believe he was about to fire the weapon.
The sheriff’s office tweeted a photo of the gun they said was in Melvin’s possession at the time of the shooting.
