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RELEASE: Full EMS + Police radio traffic from the 9/21/2020 fatal shooting of Dearian Bell by Atlanta PD. https://www.atlscanner.com/apd-fatal-shooting-of-dearian-bell-9-21-2020/">https://www.atlscanner.com/apd-fatal... #ATLScanner
This has been through a few iterations to add context, I am still working on adding the information to bodycam footage by syncing timecodes but I couldn& #39;t keep pushing it back, it needs to get out.
The call was dispatched at 19:25, all units got on-scene at 19:36. From the bodycam footage, it is immediately apparent at 19:40 that the subject is having a mental health crisis, but officers did nothing but radically escalate the situation.
At 19:40, the subject is in the driver& #39;s seat of a car that they do not have the keys to. Officers are outside, there is absolutely no reason to engage instead of de-escalating and waiting for EMS. Instead they try to wrestle him out of the vehicle and fail.
19:41 - subject has a gun, his wife tells officers it& #39;s unloaded (which police later verify via radio call at 19:44). The officer who ends up fatally shooting him says "We& #39;re not finna play these fucking games with a gun, we need to get his shit together."
19:42 - The subject pleads to be sent to Grady "or i& #39;m gonna get killed today." One officer attempts to get him out of the car while the one who later shoots him says "Fucking idiot, bro" at 19:43. With multiple officers having weapons drawn, subject gets out and runs.
19:43:13 - Officer 1: "I don& #39;t give a fuck about him running." Subject still in a mental health crisis now yells "Now you& #39;re gonna have to put me down!" Officer 1 responds "You hear him? Alright, that& #39;s all I need to know." Her mind was set on murder before any request for help.
19:44 - Officer 2 radios in request for Grady crisis, reports unloaded weapon, APD supervisor en route. While that is happening, Officer 1 shouts at subject "If you pull it [the unloaded gun], I promise you, if you pull some shit out, bro, I promise you."
Immediately after, she shouts to another officer "What is that in his hand y& #39;all? Is that a gun? Thank you, that& #39;s all I needed." A sound consistent with unholstering her weapon is heard immediately after.
The subject& #39;s wife is again stressing to officers that the subject is holding her gun, that it& #39;s unloaded which was again confirmed by Officer 2 at 19:44.
Meanwhile, APD dispatch appears to have submitted a call to Grady to get EMS to the location. The subject points the gun at his own head which is not relayed to dispatch until two minutes later.
19:46 - officers: "This dude is really trying to get shot, like this is ridiculous." "Yeah he& #39;s trying to get shot, it& #39;s *stupid.*" Male officer appears to indicate that he doesn& #39;t want that to be the outcome.
19:47 - Officer 1 shouts to the subject to put the gun down. Subject replies "You gonna kill me" and officer 1 replies "OK." According to radio traffic the subject is holding the unloaded gun to his own head. He again pleads for Grady to no response.
At around 19:49, all early watch units are either en route or already present at the scene. Subject starts approaching the vehicle to get his phone, Officer 1 repeatedly screams at the top of her lungs for subject to drop the gun, he backs away.
At no point so far have I seen nor heard report of the gun pointed anywhere but at the subject& #39;s own head or the ground. Officers move in, Officer 1 in front behind a tree. Subject picks up a tree stump or something similar with both hands, Officer 1 screams about gun.
