INDIANAPOLIS — Edited footage released by the Indianapolis Metro Police Department this week shows the moments leading up to a shooting that killed 48-year-old Raphael Dekemper on Jan. 25.
Dekemper's mom, Patricia Warner, and his cousin, Tierra Johnson, are questioning the validity of the released footage around six weeks after the incident.
"You kind of getting closure because you're seeing what's happening there, but you're not getting closure because you're not getting able to see the whole thing. Like, there are some pieces missing out," Johnson said.
Police said Dekemper had been wanted for allegedly shooting at a man on the city's east side earlier that month. About three weeks later, IMPD said they saw him get into a car outside his home. Warner and Johnson said they wonder why police didn't arrest him then.
"If y'all thought he was a murderer or whatever the case was, and y'all were coming to get him, it would have been the right thing to get him before he got into a car. You don't know what a person got in the car before they got there, so why would you want to put yourself in that position?" Johnson asked.
It was after police say they initiated what they called a "high-risk traffic stop" that Dekemper is alleged to have gotten out of the car and fired at officers. Video from a nearby Ring doorbell device, provided by IMPD, shows when police initially pulled him over. Then, in another clip, zoomed farther in, it shows when Dekemper is shot by police.
WARNING: The IMPD video contains graphic images and language and can be found here.
Dekemper's family is not denying that he probably fired at police first, but said they believe officers should have looked into his criminal background before pursuing him.
"They had plenty of time to investigate him as a person, you know, his history, and form some opinions about his history and make some judgements about the quality of his life," Warner said.
No officers were hurt during the incident.
Right now, this police shooting is under investigation by IMPD's Critical Incident Response Team and internal affairs officers.