)
)
)
TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - Toledo police tonight released the dash cam video of the officer-involved fatal shooting of an armed robbery suspect in what the mayor and police chief call a commitment to transparency.
Police say around 5:30 this evening, two SWAT officers shot and killed 25-year-old Lamar Richardson at Lagrange and Hudson. They say he produced a firearm and that's when the shots were fired.
In a 10 p.m. news conference, Toledo Police Chief George Kral said, first of all, "The important thing is today was a tragedy."
He says since June 27th, an armed robber has held up four carryouts in Toledo. Chief Kral says Richardson fit the description and was named in several Crimestopper tips.
Kral says a SWAT team was following Richardson to see if he was going to commit another robbery and hopefully stop him in the act.
The chief says around 4 p.m., a general broadcast came in for a stolen car from the East Side. One of TPD's marked crews spotted the car and identified Richardson as the driver. He says after a short car chase, the vehicle got away from the officers.
At 5:25pm, SWAT officers saw Richardson riding a bicycle on Lagrange. After a short foot chase, Richardson turned and reached for a gun which prompted officers to fire at Richardson, killing him. An officer is seen on the dashcam video kicking the gun from Richardson's hand. TPD earlier tweeted a picture of the gun, described as a S&W 9mm pistol.
After the shooting, tensions rose as an angry crowd gathered, Police formed a line to keep the crowd from the crime scene and city officials, including the police chief showed up to urge calm. Many in the crowd and on social media, claiming the victim was a juvenile who was shot in the back with his hands up.
Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz says he called a meeting of lawmakers, faith leaders and community leaders to work together to respond to tonight's shooting.
In the 10 p.m. news conference, he said "This was a terrible day for Toledo. An officer shot and killed a 25-year-old individual. Any time a human life is lost is a tragedy."
The mayor said he decided to release the dashcam video to quash rumors and misinformation on social media about the shooting. "We'll see things in the video that are crystal clear," he said.
"However, I know the environment we are living in in this country and it's fair to say ... all of us will view the video through the lens of our own life experience. As we move forward, we will all benefit by sharing information, being transparent."
The mayor added that, "I don't know what the next step is," but wanted a united front with the transparent sharing of information. "But always, incidents that pertain to race, we need to talk to each other and listen to each other."
Chief Kral said Richardson had five outstanding warrants: one felony for a stolen car and four misdemeanors including domestic violence and had "28 priors."
