Video Shows Moments Before Christian Taylor's Death

ByJANET WEINSTEIN ABCNews logo
Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Recently released surveillance footage shows the moments before the death of an unarmed football player in Arlington, Texas.

The 9-minute edited video obtained by ABC News shows 19-year-old Christian Taylor wandering around the dealership's parking lot, jumping on top of a car, attempting to smash windows and driving a jeep into the showroom's front windows.

The fatal encounter between Brad Miller, a licensed officer who was completing his field training program, and Taylor at the Classic Buick GMC was not included in the released material. Taylor allegedly drove an SUV into the dealership's windows and did not comply with cops' commands to surrender.

The shooting has again highlighted the deadly use of force by police.

Police have confirmed that Taylor is the man in the video, but haven't commented further. Taylor's brother, Adrian, told ABC News on Sunday, "There's no reason I would know of him to be there."

"Whatever he was doing there, I wish he wasn't."

The video shows a Jeep Cherokee pulling up to the dealership's gate barriers just before 1 a.m. on Aug. 7. Then, Taylor can be seen getting out of the car, walking over to the gate barrier and swinging on it before walking off into the dealership parking lot.

Next, he walks over to the cars on display and appears to try to open some of the doors, the video shows.

The footage cuts to him wandering over to a vehicle, pausing, and then attempting to bash both the front window and windshield open.

When the windshield breaks, he tries to pull the glass off, but appears to hurt himself in the process. After pausing for a moment, he goes back to trying to kick and peel the windshield off again.

After a few attempts, Taylor is seen being able to slip into the vehicle through the windshield and start it.

Once the car starts up, Taylor walks out of the front door and back out into the parking lot. He then makes his way back to the Jeep Cherokee and proceeds to drive it through the gates and into the showroom.

The video cuts to shot of a police car arriving at the gate around 1:16 a.m. A single officer is seen walking through the parking lot and into the showroom. Then, two officers are then seen jogging behind the first. The video cuts to a few minutes later, where one officer is seen standing outside the showroom.

Around 1:30 a.m., an ambulance pulls up outside the showroom and another officer enters the parking lot. Ambulance workers and police officers begin to speak while a fire truck arrives.

The video ends on a shot of the ambulance backing into a parking spot next to the showroom.

Taylor's death was ruled a homicide.

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