By Harrison Grimwood
Muskogee Phoenix
WAGONER, Okla. — Wagoner police released the body camera footage Monday that shows the June 6 slaying of an unarmed suspect who led police and deputies on a violent pursuit.
The video, graphic in nature, shows Wagoner Police Officer Robert Reynolds, 45, shoot suspect Andrew Robert Henson, 25, five times, killing him.
“You’re going to have to kill me n....,” Henson said in the video. “You’re going to have to ... “
Police Chief Bob Haley said Reynolds fired four shots in rapid succession, followed by a fifth. In the video, Henson can be seen trying to stand before the fifth shot is fired.
Henson raised his arms in front of his torso in a threatening gesture after the vehicle pursuit ended, Haley said. Just prior to the shooting, Reynolds commanded Henson to stop and put his hands in the air. Investigators discovered after the shooting that Henson was not armed.
“Mr. Henson failed to comply and (Reynolds) reacted to what he perceived,” Haley said.
Charity Muehlenweg, the city’s spokeswoman, said the video was released according to Oklahoma law.
“We’re not here to defend or try any persons involved in this event,” Muehlenweg said. “We just wanted to get this out.”
Henson led officers and deputies on a high-speed pursuit through the county and the city, reaching speeds in excess of 100 mph, Haley said. Near the end of the chase, Henson rammed Reynolds’ vehicle twice, and he attempted to run Reynolds off the road as he passed.
As Henson passed Reynolds’ vehicle, he clipped the front end of Reynolds’ car. Henson’s car spun out and rolled, Haley said.
Before the pursuit began, a Wagoner County sheriff’s deputy stopped Henson for a traffic violation in the area of South Polk Avenue and Southwest 15th Street. Henson fled after the deputy learned Henson was wanted in Mississippi on a felony burglary warrant, according to a June media release from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
The deputy pursued Henson through Wagoner and around Wagoner County and back into the town. The deputy fired several rounds but did not hit the driver, according to the release.
During the pursuit, Henson rammed a deputy’s car and a Wagoner police officer’s car several times. The release indicates the pursuit ended when Henson’s car rolled over in the area where it began: South Polk Avenue and Southwest 15th Street.
Near the end of the pursuit, Henson failed to negotiate a turn, allowing Reynolds to get ahead of him.
Assistant District 27 Attorney Jack Thorp said his office has yet to receive the investigative report from OSBI. Once the DA’s office receives the report, it will make a determination on the justifiability of the shooting.
Reynolds, who has been in law enforcement since 1997, started at the Wagoner Police Department in October 2015, Jones said. He is on paid administrative leave while the investigation continues.
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