Seeing is believing. So video of almost anything should make everything much clearer, right?
Not always. And it's an issue that's been in the news with the video of the struggle between New York City police officers and Eric Garner. Garner's death was ruled a homicide. Still, a grand jury did not return an indictment in that case.
In the age of smartphones, dashboard cameras and surveillance video, that video is one among many.
See if you can figure out what happened to the police officers involved in these videotaped encounters with the public.
Albuquerque police shot a homeless man and killed him. The shooting was caught on police video -- it was one in a long line of police killings that had the city's Police Department on the verge of federal oversight. James Boyd, a mentally disturbed man, was camping out in the foothills above Albuquerque, New Mexico, one night because city homeless shelters had closed, according to his friends. He was holding two small camping knives. An autopsy found that Boyd, 38, was shot in the back, and the death was ruled a homicide.
Albuquerque, New Mexico, police officers Keith Sandy and Dominique Perez will face first-degree murder charges in the Boyd shooting, a prosecutor announced in January. Boyd's death and several other shootings were cited in a 2014 Justice Department report that found the Albuquerque Police Department "has engaged in a pattern or practice of excessive force, including deadly force."
A sheriff's deputy argued with Colin Fitch, who didn't want his car searched in upstate New York, according to Fitch's lawyer, Terence Kindlon. A video taken by a witness shows the deputy cursing at the man, who repeatedly told the officer there was no reason for a search. "I wasn't in my car when all this was happening," the man said. "Let me see your f***ing keys," the deputy fired back. The deputy approached the man. "You want to f***ing resist?" he said.
"I'm not resisting," the man said. Then, there was the sound of an apparent slap.
Officer Shawn Glans, who has resigned, pleaded not guilty to charges of official misconduct and second-degree harassment. He was released on his own recognizance.
Officers smashed a car window in Hammond, Indiana, used a stun gun and arrested a passenger during a traffic stop, and the incident was videotaped by a boy sitting in the rear of the car. Jamal Jones and his partner, Lisa Mahone, said police pulled them over because they were not wearing seat belts. Police said Jones refused to identify himself and repeatedly ignored requests to step out of the car. Officers feared he had a weapon.
The family sued the city and police for excessive force, but police and local officials stood by the officers.
A man reached into his vehicle after a South Carolina Highway Patrol officer asked for his driver's license. Seconds later, the trooper shot him. The wounded man demanded to know why. Dash camera video of the incident shows Officer Sean Groubert shooting Levar Jones, who was unarmed, at a gas station just outside Columbia. Jones, 35, survived the shooting.
Groubert was fired and charged with aggravated assault and battery, a felony that could get him up to 20 years in prison if convicted, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. Groubert is free on bond; the case is pending.
Police officers responded to a 911 call about someone brandishing a weapon in a Cleveland park. Video shows Officer Timothy Loehmann fatally shooting 12-year-old Tamir Rice immediately after arriving on the scene and exiting his cruiser. Rice was carrying what turned out to be a toy gun. The police dispatcher who answered the 911 call did not tell the officers that the caller had said the gun seemed fake. Rice's death was ruled a homicide.
Rice's death is under investigation. Meanwhile, a separate Justice Department investigation of the Cleveland Police Department has found a "pattern ... of unreasonable and unnecessary use of force."
Buffalo police Officer Corey Krug was caught on camera by a photographer for CNN affiliate WKBW striking Devin Ford with his baton. The video shows Krug confronting Ford on a street early Thanksgiving morning. Krug was responding to a report of a fight, though Ford's lawyer, Christopher Pannozzo, said his client was not involved in a fight. The officer pushed Ford to the ground and hit him with his baton at least two times before ordering him to walk away.
The Buffalo Police Department is investigating the incident, and Krug was suspended without pay, the station reported. The police union declined to comment, and Krug could not be reached. Calls to the Police Department seeking comment were not returned. Ford is planning to file a civil rights lawsuit against Krug and the city of Buffalo, Pannozzo said.
