The family of Charles Calhoun, 68, says that he was fatally shot by Clayton County officers in Georgia as he was checking for burglars. Now, police have released body cam footage of the incident.
Authorities say that Calhoun was shot after he pointed a rifle at them and refused to drop his weapon as he was instructed.
However, Calhoun’s relatives state that he had heard a noise and was checking for burglars. They also believe that he may have fallen in the street after suffering from side effects of COVID-19. They say that Calhoun would have never threatened officers with a gun.
The incident occurred in the early morning hours of March 23. Body cam footage depicts some of what happened.
“‘Put the gun down. Put the (expletive) gun down now! I will light your (expletive) up.” The recording shows officers walking up to Calhoun from the backyard. A spokesperson for the department says that those demands were stopped when the man pointed a gun at officers.
On the released body cam, no verbal command can be heard until after a gunshot was heard.
Calhoun’s widow stated that her husband had been outside at that time because someone had broken into their home recently. She says that she wasn’t in the home at the time but had just talk to her husband before he went outside.
The Clayton County Police spokesperson wouldn’t comment on why commands to drop the gun weren’t heard prior to the gunshot, citing a GBI investigation.
Calhoun’s family has obtained an attorney.
