Faith leaders and activists acquired new video footage of the death of Malcolm Johson, 31. He was shot twice in the head by officers during an attempted arrest at a BP Gas Station at East 63rd Street and Prospect Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri.
In the original footage, viewers can see Kansas City Police Officers trying to arrest Johson who tried escaping, but the store’s camera did not capture the full incident.
Missouri State Highway Patrol Sergeant Andy Bell stated that police officers were trying to identify the person for an aggravated assault investigation, and Johnson met the description.
“Officers of the Kansas City Police Department in the Impact Unit were actively looking for an individual wanted for a stop order [and] aggravated assault investigation,” Bell claimed. “They went to make contact and effect an arrest inside of the gas station.”
Bell insisted that Johson allegedly shot one of the officers in the leg, which forced officers to return fire, eventually leading to Johnson’s death.
“At some point, the suspect retrieved his handgun and fired into the officers, striking the officer. During that shooting, the officer in self-defense returned fire,” he said.
New footage of the situation was leaked by the gas station clerk who recorded the event on his cell phone, and the video shows a different scenario than the story told by Bell. The footage shows Johson trying to escape, while officers bombard him to the ground. Johson is then seen being shot in the temple.
Faith leaders and activists responded with outrage, demanding answers from the police department about what really happened.
“When I’m looking at the video, it looks like one officer shot the other officer, then shot the victim twice in the head,” Darron Edwards, pastor at United Believers Community Church, said. He, along with other faith leaders and activists then held a news conference on Thursday at Concord Fortress of Hope Church to discuss the second video of the shooting and make demands.
“We need to pray for the true veil to be lifted because we’ve become lethargic,” activist Cheryl Ferguson said. “We have come to the point that we just believe the narrative, and that’s why it’s so hard for those of us you see fighting here today.”
The Missouri State Highway Patrol is looking further into the investigation.