INDIANAPOLIS — IMPD released bodycam footage Tuesday of the police shooting that left a man injured on New Year's Eve. The footage released is an edited version of video from three officers' body cameras.
Anthony Maclin, 24, was sitting in his grandmother's driveway in the 3600 block of North Oxford Street when police shot him.
Maclin's grandmother, Vickie Driver, called 911 around 4 a.m., saying a black car was in her driveway, but she didn't want to go out to see who was inside.
"I don't know if it's one of my kids — I don't know," she said during the 911 call.
When officers arrived, Maclin was asleep and they point out he has a gun in his lap. Video shows an officer try to open the doors to the car, but it's locked. According to the critical incident video, officers waited around three minutes before knocking on the passenger side window.
When Maclin woke up and started to move, officers started shooting.
Click here to watch the video. WARNING: The video is graphic in nature and may be disturbing for some audiences.
IMPD previously identified the officers as four-year veteran Lucas Riley, three-year veteran Alexander Gregory and five-year veteran Carl Chandler.
Video shows the officers yelling "police!" and "hands up!" over each other. Less than five seconds later, they start firing shots. The shooting lasts for approximately seven seconds.
Driver can then be heard in the background, shouting "that's my grandson!"
Officers shout at Maclin to get on the ground as his grandmother continues to tell them it's her grandson. After Maclin is out of the car, officers put handcuffs on him and he can be heard saying "you gotta get me up...you gotta help me."
In the video, IMPD claims Maclin reached toward the passenger seat before they started shooting. While officers can be heard acknowledging the gun in Maclin's lap when they first arrived, IMPD claims "none of the cameras provided a clear view of the position of the gun after the man woke up and moved his arm."
While officers are providing aid, Maclin explains he didn't call his grandmother because he didn't want to wake her up.
Police recovered a 9mm handgun from the front seat. Maclin was never arrested.
IMPD's Critical Incident Response Team is investigating the incident. The department's Internal Affairs Unit is conducting a separate investigation.
Maclin's attorneys sent a tort claim notice, which means they are considering suing, to Indianapolis leaders on Monday.
According to Maclin's attorneys, the officers fired at least 30 shots, hitting Maclin three times.
Maclin was hospitalized for 17 days and underwent six surgeries. His attorneys said he is now back at home recovering and will not be able to work for at least three months. He still uses a wheelchair.
On Monday, Maclin said he still has bullets inside him that cause him pain, especially one still in his ribcage.
Maclin's attorneys claim he never had the gun in his hand.
"Anthony is not accused of committing any crime. He was not drunk or high on drugs. While Anthony had a firearm in the car—and a license to carry the firearm—he never reached for the gun," said attorney Stephen Wagner.
Family statement
Wagner issued a statement on behalf of Maclin's family Tuesday night, after IMPD released the bodycam video:
The video footage released today confirms the officers had no plan whatsoever before surrounding the car with their guns drawn. Why not use other, safer methods to wake him from a distance? As a result of this lack of planning and communication, when they woke Anthony and he moved—something anyone would do when startled awake—all three officers panicked and started shouting at the same time from various positions around the car. One or more officers screamed, “Police” while another officer yelled, “Hands! Hands!” Rather than simply backing away and taking cover, the officers then opened fire for seven full seconds, firing dozens of rounds into the car.
What is more significant is what is not in the video. You never hear an officer yell, “Drop the gun!” When Anthony turns toward the officers and appears to raise his right arm slightly—when one officer was commanding him to raise his hands—you do not see a gun in his right hand. You certainly do not see him pointing a gun at the officers. When the gun was found after the shooting, it was in the driver’s seat where it would be expected to be found if the gun remained in Anthony’s lap during the shooting—not in the passenger seat where the IMPD video implies he was reaching toward with the gun. In the moments after the shooting, not one officer mentions that Anthony pointed a gun at them, even when Anthony moans, “Why did you guys shoot?” Likewise, after the shooting none of the officers used their police radio to report that Anthony threatened them with a gun before they opened fire. Instead, the officers’ actions right after the shooting are much more consistent with them feeling guilty because they realized they just needlessly and recklessly shot a man who was doing nothing wrong.
The Maclin family continues to call for the following:
- IMPD to release the unedited officer body cam footage of this incident
- IMPD to terminate the employment of officers Chandler, Riley and Gregory
- The Marion County Prosecutor to criminally charge all 3 officers for their criminal actions