Body camera video shows officer involved shooting of 13-year-old with Asperger’s after mom calls for help
The Salt Lake City Police Department released body camera footage of an officer involved shooting that left a 13-year-old boy who has Asperger’s with multiple injuries.
The teen, identified as Linden Cameron by his mother Golda Barton, remains hospitalized following the shooting nearly two weeks ago.
An independent police investigation is being conducted, and Salt Lake City Police said they expect additional investigations from the district attorney’s office and a civilian review board.
What the video shows
Barton told CNN her son has Asperger’s syndrome and is unable to control himself. She called police on the day of the shooting requesting assistance for her son who was having a “mental breakdown.”
The bodycam video released Monday shows Barton asking police to subdue her son Cameron and take him to a hospital because of violent threats and unmanageable behavior.
The mother tells officers that her son has triggers related to law enforcement and that he has access to a BB gun or a prop weapon, but she doesn’t think he has a real gun.
Officers respond that they have to treat the situation as if he does possibly have a gun.
During one recording, an officer can be heard expressing trepidation about trying to apprehend the boy.
“If no one’s in the house, no one’s in danger… but he’s not harming himself, I’m sorry, I’m not about to get in a shooting,” the officer is heard saying.
The videos show officers approach the house and then begin chasing the boy, at one point breaking through a wooden fence. Cameron is seen walking slowly while ignoring demands to get on the ground.
An officer opens fire and eleven shots can be heard on the recordings. Cameron rolls over on the ground, saying, “I don’t feel good,” and then, “Tell my mom I love her.”
Barton told CNN earlier this month that the boy’s injuries include damage to his shoulder, ankles, intestines, bladder and colon.
City officials call shooting tragic
The Salt Lake City Police Department has refused to comment on Barton’s claim that Cameron was unarmed. No weapon is visible in the body camera footage, although the video is poorly lit and Cameron was wearing dark clothing.
“I am very saddened by this tragic situation,” Chief Mike Brown said during a press conference Monday. “As a father of three young sons, this has had a big impact on me personally,” Brown said. He did not give any details about the investigation.
Mayor Erin Mendenhall echoed the chief’s sentiments saying, “As a member of this community, and as the mother of a 14-year-old boy, I am profoundly heartbroken, and I am frustrated.”
