Body-cam used to exonerate officer in officer involved shooting in SLC.

A police officer was legally justified in shooting an unarmed man, a Salt Lake City district attorney said Tuesday, in a decision based on video from the officer’s body camera. The case is the first time the district attorney there has relied on body-cam evidence to determine whether an officer-involved shooting could be justified.

Dillon Taylor, 20, was shot to death by Salt Lake City officer Bron Cruz on Aug. 11 after police received a report about three men who were seen near a 7-Eleven, possibly flashing a gun, reported NBC affiliate KSL. The men — Taylor, along with his brother and cousin — are seen on Cruz’s body-cam video in the parking lot when Cruz pulls in. Taylor’s brother and cousin stop and put up their hands; Taylor keeps walking, head down.

After the shooting, the officer went and attempted to provide first aid, called for ambulance, and asked what he was reaching for in his waist band.

Further investigation found a Facebook posting that Taylor had “hit rock bottom”, which seems to suggest a suicide by cop situation.

You can still question whether the officer should have had access to using non-lethal force such as a taser, but when you’ve got a suspect reaching into their waistband at a critical moment, the officer has to make the split second decision whether it’s a weapon or not. If the officer delays, it could cost them their life.

In other words, even having the body camera wont resolve all cases of excessive force or police brutality, but we all get to begin to understand how these situations unfold in real time, and can help prosecutors and juries decide whether the actions were appropriate.