Detroit Police Department release surveillance video of Northwest District station shooting
WARNING: the videos shown may be disturbing to some. Viewer discretion is advised.
The Detroit Police Department today released surveillance video footage showing the rampage as Lamar D. Moore entered the Northwestern District station, shooting officers before he was killed in return fire.
The video is about 1 minute and 8 seconds and shows two angles of the police station — the front door and the front desk, pointing toward the door.
At one point in the video, Commander Brian Davis and the gunman, Lamar D Moore, fired at each other with about three feet between them! Seeing this video, I am amazed that Cmdr. Davis wasn’t more seriously injured than he was (got shot in the hand and back).
The video was release for 3 purposes:
1) a commitment to transparency in the department,
2) show the public the heroism of the officers that day and inherent dangers all DPD officers face everyday,
3) the benefit of the greater body of law enforcement agencies.
There’s two videos on the Detroit Free Press page, 1) the surveillance video by itself and 2) the video with (I believe) Detroit police chief Ralph Godbee narrating. There are two angles to the surveillance video: to the left, a view of the entrance with the front desk on the right, and a view behind said desk, facing the entrance (which is just out of frame)
The surveillance video is about 1:08 long. For those who either can’t see it or don’t want to see it, here’s a rundown:
Several people stand behind the front desk, including Cmdr. Davis, Officer David Anderson, a Modreci Draper (owner of a shoe repair business who was there to shine officers’ shoes), and Sergeant Ray Saati. Cmdr Davis has his back turned to the entrance, and Draper kneels down to clean off Officer Anderson’s shoes.
The shooter, Lamar Moore, walks in with the shotgun hidden. He walks by the front desk and out of frame. It is there when he pulls his shotgun out and fired. Cmdr Davis, Officer Anderson, Draper, and Sgt Saati duck after the shot. Moore then shoots down a hallway, striking Sergeant Carrie Schulz in her ballistic vest. Sergeants Mike Ingels and James Kirkland return fire, forcing Moore to back up towards the front desk.
From behind the desk, Davis grabs Sgt Saati’s gun and, with the help of Officer Theodore Jackson, return fire from over the desk. Moore then launches himself over the counter/front desk.
The most chilling part of the video happens when Davis and Moore face each other and exchange fire not too much more than 4 or so feet from each other. Davis falls aside as Moore circles around the center counter. Davis, his hand and back shot, manages to get to his knees, grabs a trash can, and tosses it towards a now mortally wounded Moore; the trash can doesn’t reach Moore, but regardless, Moore staggers backwards and collapses near the chairs behind the front desk.
The whole gun battle, from Moore’s first shot to when he collapses, lasts about 40 seconds.
Moore is suspected of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl. The girl escaped on Sunday, and hours later, Moore walked calmly into the Northwestern Precinct office and opened fire.
The injured include:
Commander Brian Davis, shot in the lower back and lost a portion of two of his fingers, as well as a pin in his middle finger.
Officer David Anderson was hit at the top of his head above the hairline, suffering a fractured skull and a blood clot in his brain (that was removed successfully).
Sergeants Ray Saati and Carrie Schulz received minor injuries and were treated and released several hours after the shooting.
Commander Davis and Officer Anderson will recover, but they won’t be able to return to duty for about six months.