DES MOINES, Iowa – The Des Moines Police Department released a video summary and body camera footage from a fatal officer-involved shooting that occurred during a drug trafficking investigation, KCCI reported.
The Feb. 6 incident began after the suspect was seen walking along a roadway when officers attempted to detain him in connection with a vehicle they had been monitoring, according to the report.
Body camera footage shows Officer Titus Deford approaching the suspect and repeatedly asking him to keep his hands visible.
“Would you like to search my bag?” the man can be heard asking officers.
“If you’re offering, yeah absolutely,” Deford replies. He then asks the man what he had in his pockets.
The suspect tells officers he is carrying a screwdriver, then suddenly pulls it out and lunges toward Officer Neal Shaffer. Both Deford and Shaffer fired their weapons, fatally striking the suspect.
Both officers were placed on administrative assignment following the shooting, in accordance with department policy, according to the report. The Polk County Attorney’s Office and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office later cleared the officers of any wrongdoing.
