Police dash cam video that caught the deadly shooting of an Alaska man after he reached for a pellet gun has been released by the victim’s family.
The disturbing video captures the moments before and after Bishar Hassan, 31, was shot and killed by three officers in Anchorage in April 2019.
Hassan can be seen walking down a street in the video, when the officers in three patrol cars pull him over.
Police believed he matched the description of a man who had earlier been reported waving a gun, according to a report from the state’s Office of Special Prosecutions.
When the officers got out of their cars Hassan walked towards them and appeared to pull a weapon from his waistband.
The officers immediately fired their weapons, killing Hassan, but the video shows they did not try and give him any first aid for at least two minutes.
Hassan was then transported to the hospital, where he died.
It was later found that Hassan had been holding a “real-like replica BB or pellet gun modeled after a 9 mm handgun,” according to the OSP report.
Last March, Hassan’s family filed a $20m wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Anchorage and the three police officers involved: Nathan Lewis, Brett Eggiman and Matthew Hall.
Rex Lamont Butler, a lawyer representing Hassan’s family in the civil lawsuit, said Hassan was illegally stopped and that the fatal shooting wasn’t justified.
“He had his palm up with the gun in his hand. He was showing them that it was a toy,” Mr Butler told NBC News.
He added that English was Hassan’s second language and he sometimes struggled to communicate.
“The video sells itself in something not being right here.”
Following an investigation into the shooting, it was announced that none of the officers would face criminal charges over the killing.
Police officers are generally allowed to use deadly force if they perceive themselves in danger of physical harm or death.
Alaska does not require people who carry guns to have a permit, any anyone over 21 can carry a firearm openly or in a concealed manner.
Mr Butler says that Hassan was not a threat and was following state law that requires anyone stopped by the police to immediately tell officers they posses a firearm.
