DENVER – What happened before a 12-year-old boy died in a shootout with the owner of a car is becoming clearer through body camera video obtained by 9NEWS as police continue to investigate the incident.
The footage captures a man who became frustrated with what he perceived as a slow response to his stolen vehicle which he was tracking in real-time via GPS.
“I’ll do it myself if I have to, if that’s what you really want,” the 35-year-old car owner said after showing police he could see his vehicle moving on his phone.
9NEWS obtained the body cam footage that was recorded on February 5 at the Northfield Mall where the car owner reported his Audi stolen.
About 30 minutes after reporting to police who responded about his stolen car, the man got into a shootout with armed occupants of his vehicle about 10 miles away.
The owner of the car, who has not been charged, became frustrated with dispatch and police because officers were not immediately pursuing his moving vehicle.
At least eight times in the video, the man tells responding officers that he plans to confront the robbers himself after he becomes more frustrated about having to file a police report.
“I can sit here and do a report with you right now to tell you all this information and hopefully one day you may find the vehicle,” says the car owner.
“Or I can go right now and stop the vehicle. So I’ll call you when they’re on the ground and then come get them. Super simple,” the man tells the officer.
“It doesn’t work like that,” the responding officer tells the man. “There’s a lot of liability for that. A lot of criminal charges. Just because there’s a property crime or if you finish someone like that, or you’re going to be held responsible.”
The responding officer tells the man that police often wait for stolen vehicles to stop moving to avoid problems like a high-speed chase or a crash that could hurt bystanders.
“And if they take a rifle from me, then I’m justified,” the car owner told the officer.
About 30 minutes after the man filed a complaint, he is seen on security video recorded at West 10th Avenue and Decatur Street pulling up next to his stolen car, running to the driver’s side and then getting into in a shootout with the gunmen. occupants
The video captures gun smoke emanating from the car. Elias Armstrong, 12, was shot in the chest and pronounced dead at the hospital a short time later.
The owner of the car claimed he was shot at first.
The Denver district attorney’s office said it does not plan to prosecute the car’s owner because a conviction is unlikely.
Denver police have said the other armed occupants of the vehicle fled after the shooting, but so far no arrests have been made. A department spokesman said the case remains under investigation.
9NOTICIES does not name the man because he has not been charged. He told the author of this article last month that he did not wish to be contacted for comment.
If you have information on this story, or would like to submit a news tip, you can contact jeremy@9news.com.
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