WASHINGTON — DC Police released body camera footage online Monday evening of officers shooting Justin Robinson near a McDonald's in Southeast D.C. earlier this month.
Robinson, 26, was killed on Sept. 1 just after 5:30 a.m., when police responded to a call for a minor crash with an injury in the drive-thru of a McDonald's in Southeast D.C.
Robinson's family originally said they did not want the video released after watching it.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The video above contains imagery and audio that may be disturbing and viewer discretion is advised.
Tralicia, Justin Robinson's sister, told WUSA9 they were hesitant to allow the video to be shown to the public because they had been told it would be redacted.
"We wanted to watch the video ourselves and then be able to tell our own story before the video was redacted," said Tralicia in an interview with WUSA9 Monday night.
"The only redactions in the videos are those that are required by law," said Chief Pamela Smith at a news conference shortly after the video was released Monday night.
She explained the redactions included blurring Justin Robinson's face, and the faces of some of the DC Fire and EMS members who were at the scene.
D.C. officials said over the weekend they were contacted by the family's attorney who said the family had changed their minds and wanted the video released.
The body-worn camera footage was released in two videos, along with a community briefing video that was posted on the Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department YouTube page. Both of the videos are just under 20 minutes long and show the point of view of two different officers.
The first video opens inside a patrol car and appears to have no sound for the first two minutes. The video shows the officer parking beside the McDonald's drive-thru lane, behind an ambulance. He looks into the car that appears to have crashed in the drive-thru and speaks into his radio saying, "Suspect has a firearm on his lap."
As more officers arrive, they use patrol cars to box the stopped vehicle. Eventually, armed officers surround the vehicle.
"The officers were clearing the area of any individuals or bystanders they were also using their police vehicle to box in the vehicle and were also attempting to come up with a plan on how to respond or engage when they were notified by the other officers that there was individual movement inside the car," said Chief Smith.
At 13:36 minutes, the body-worn camera video appears to show Robinson grabbing one of the officer's gun before officers began shooting at him. Robinson later died at the scene of the shooting.
The second video gives the view from another officer at the scene as well as the aftermath of the shooting.
"My first reaction was, that was poor tactics. That was my first reaction. Then shock. Then I was met with a little bit of anger and heartbreak," said Tralicia.
She told WUSA9 she didn't understand why the officers approached her brother with guns drawn since the call was initially for an unresponsive person who had crashed.
"Why was there no urgency to render aid to make sure this person was okay," said Tralicia.
She explained that her little brother had always wanted to be a community activist and became a violence interrupter for Cure the Streets.
"He always had a smile. If anyone ever see him and it's time to depart they'll say I love you and he'll say I love you more," she said.
She and the family's attorney questioned the officer's decisions.
"From my watching of the video. Mr. Robinson seems to be waking up. I think he's trying to push a gun away from his face," said Brandon Burrell, the family's attorney.
"He said I'll shoot you in your f---ing face. He was rolling the window down. Why did you place the gun in the window and tell him that? No aid was rendered if you thought that he was slowly waking up all of these things leading up to his death could have been prevented," added Tralicia.
The two officers who shot Robinson have been identified as officers Vasco Mateus and Bryan Gilchrist from the 7th District. Both officers are on administrative leave pending an investigation into the shooting.