Controversial and graphic body-camera footage from a June 2014 officer-involved shooting of a mentally ill man in Dallas was released Monday, WFAA reports.
Officers were responding to a call at Jason Harrison's home—which they were used to doing because the family had called before for help with the 38-year-old, who suffered from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
The footage shows the officers approaching the house and then a woman, Harrison's mother, answering the door and walking past the officers to get out of their way. "Bipolar and schizo," Harrison's mother can be heard telling police.
Harrison can be seen standing in the doorway with a screwdriver in his hand. When the officers spot the screwdriver, however, the situation quickly unravels. Officers immediately draw their guns and order Harrison to put down the screwdriver. Within seconds, several shots can be heard.
"He was in the doorway. He had a screwdriver. We had this behind us and we had to shoot," one officer can be heard explaining in the video. The officers claim that Harrison lunged toward them with the screwdriver.
Family attorney Geoff Henley, however, says that Harrison's civil rights were violated. "When you're dealing with somebody who is mentally ill, you're not supposed to agitate," the lawyer said. "You're not supposed to move fast … you're not supposed to inflame."
The family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the two officers who responded.
"They didn't acknowledge him … they just acknowledged the screwdriver," Harrison's older brother, David, said. "As soon as [my mother] got out of the way, [the officers said,] 'I need you to put that down, sir!' It went from zero to 100."
Read more at WFAA.