Wednesday, March 10th 2021, 6:25 pm
The Oklahoma City Police Department released on Wednesday about 70 minutes of body worn camera footage from the lethal officer-involved shooting of 15-year-old Stavian Rodriguez.
The Oklahoma County District Attorney also released surveillance video from the store police said Rodriguez robbed before he was shot and killed.
More than a dozen Oklahoma City officers in uniforms and plain clothes surrounded the Okie Gas Express near Southwest 79th Street and South Western Avenue last November.
Police said an armed robbery suspect was locked inside the store. Rodriguez's only exit was a drive-through window on the side of the building.
As seen in the body camera footage from Officer Bethany Sears, she spoke to the store owner who confirmed he saw the teen with a gun.
A number of officers took cover behind parked cars and began yelling different commands at one time, including over a loudspeaker.
Cut to the gas station's surveillance camera over the drive-through window. The area was brightly lit and can clearly see the teenager climb out of the windows, following officers’ commands.
According to court documents and seen in the video, Rodriguez lifted his shirt showing his waistline, pulled his gun from his pants with his left hand and dropped the gun on the ground. In a split-second Rodriguez puts his hands in two different pockets and then gunfire was heard in the videos.
The investigation revealed Officer Sarah Carli fired a 40 millimeter less-lethal round first. She was not charged by the District Attorney’s office on Wednesday.
Officers Bethany Sears, Jared Barton, Corey Adams, Jonathan Skuta and Brad Pemberton followed with lethal rounds. The group was charged with first-degree manslaughter for what the District Attorney declared an unjustified shooting.
Court records also showed Rodriguez did not have another weapon and was likely pulling his phone out of his pocket when he was shot and killed.
Jennifer Pierce is an Emmy-award-winning reporter for News 9 and has been on staff since 2017. While most days, she covers crime in the metro and court cases, she enjoys telling the stories of Native Americans in Oklahoma. Jennifer is a proud member of the Choctaw Nation. She takes pride in the success her tribe and the many other tribes in Oklahoma have gained in recent years.
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