Once again, US police have shot and killed an unarmed man, and father of four, in an unprovoked attack.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Whilst sitting in his car, 48-year-old James Dellea was having a small, personal crisis. After police swarmed the car, they proceeded to shoot him three times, killing him with a shot to the head. After the murder, the police then proceeded to lie to the family, telling them their father was alive and had not been killed.
The police, instead, told the family their father was having a psych evaluation in a local hospital. It was only hours later they found out it was an 'officer-involved shooting' that had killed their father and husband.
Thankfully, in this case, the bodycam footage has been released. It shows an off-duty police officer losing control and shooting the seated, unarmed man to death through his car window. An investigation into Brian Rudolph, the off-duty police officer, is underway to determine if he unlawfully killed the father of four.
Body Cam Footage Of Killed Father Stands As Proof Of Unlawful Police Conduct
The five-minute clip, composed of two separate bodycam records shows a very distressing incident. In the footage, police are seen approaching the vehicle containing Dellea. As they surround the car, they slowly creep forward brandishing fully automatic rifles.
One of the police officers spots a rifle on the passenger seat, and they move closer. A police officer breaks the driver's window before Dellea pushed the butt of the rifle out, for officers to take. However, at this point, Brian Rudolf opens fire, emptying three bullets through the open window, at point-blank range.
The three shots from the off-duty police officer allegedly killed the father where he sat. The police then denied the death and lied to the family as they presumably performed damage control. As Melissa, his devastated wife notes about the footage, "This man walked up to James almost like he was hunting him or trying to play the hero. The gun was never pointed at anyone. Nobody else was in danger. They could have left him alone and let him calm down." However, instead, the police killed an unarmed and innocent father.
The father had been having an episode at the time. He had been pursued by police at low speed until he pulled into the church car park. Here, the police approached him. His wife had called the emergency services, concerned about his welfare, hoping they could calm him and bring him home safely. Rather than help the man, they killed him, and lied to the family, leaving them to find out the truth via news outlets.
Brian Rudolph, the alleged shooter, is currently under investigation and on voluntary paid leave.
