Body-cam footage shows Samuel DuBose’s death was completely different to the police account

Prosecutor comments on the importance of the footage – “if we didn’t have that body camera video, what would we have? We would have nothing”

Body-cam footage shows Samuel DuBose’s death was completely different to the police account

A University of Cincinnati police officer was indicted yesterday on a murder charge in what the prosecutor claimed was “a senseless, asinine shooting” of an unarmed 43-year-old man during a traffic stop.

The highly anticipated body-cam footage taken by Officer Ray Tensing was the key reason for the indictment. It shows that Samuel DuBose did not act aggressively or pose a threat to the officer, and crucially, showed that Tensing had lied about being dragged by DuBose’s car.

Watch the damning evidence below.

WARNING: The video may be too graphic for some viewers. Watch with discretion. The shooting has been blurred.

The video shows Tensing repeatedly ask DuBose to produce a driver’s license. DuBose says he has a license but not on his person. Tensing proceeds to pull the door latch and opens the door slightly; DuBose pulls it closed with his left hand while using his right hand to key the ignition.

Tensing reaches through the window and appears to grab DuBose’s seatbelt while brandishing his gun in his right hand. Within moments, DuBose is shot in the head.

The car speeds forward and continues for about 100 metres before it runs off the road. In the full 28 minute video, Tensing claims that he DuBose had dragged him and feared that he would be run over.

The DuBose family was shown the video first.

His sister, Terina Dubose Allen commented: “We knew the video was going to vindicate our brother. He didn’t have a gun. He didn’t do anything to that officer. No one deserves this. So I’m angry. But I’m as pleased as I can be that we’re actually going to get some kind of justice for Sam.”

After the announcement of Tensing’s indictment, Hamilton County Prosecutor, Joe Deters told 700 WLW: “If we didn’t have that body camera video, what would we have? We would have nothing… It would have been a very, very different case.”

Tensing now faces a murder charge which is punishable by life in prison, and a voluntary manslaughter charge.