Richfield police release body cam footage of deadly encounter between officers, Desaver Hollis
Dramatic new video shows the moments a Twin Cities police officer was struck in the hand by gunfire, leading to him and another officer to fatally shooting a 27-year-old man.
In video recorded by Richfield police Sgt. Mario Leon's body-worn camera on April 29, you see a scuffle with the officer and Desaver Hollis, a man they suspected of stealing items from a vehicle. The footage shows Hollis aiming a gun at the officer at point-blank range and firing.
Police say that bullet went through Leon's hand, striking the Taser on his body armor. Sgt. Kristian Schultz also responded to the incident. On his camera, you see Schultz pull out a Taser. Hollis fires and Schultz fires his weapon a dozen times.
That same video shows a wounded Leon fire his weapon several times as well.
Right after that video came out, WCCO heard from Trisha Pohland, an attorney representing Hollis' family. She says she has more questions than answers, adding that the footage only shows part of the story.
"We have another Black male who is dead after an interaction with a police department," Pohland said. "His mother deserves the right to find out what exactly happened."
Pohland was joined Monday by Hollis' family, which is demanding answers and accountability five days after the shooting. Pohland says she wonders if officers fired their weapons more than necessary.
"What we know is that there were 20 shots fired," Pohland said. "The question is whether those 20 shots were excessive."
Meanwhile, they say they still want a complete picture of what happened. As the investigation unfolds, they're asking the public to withhold judgement.
"I know she's grieving, the whole family's here grieving and we really want to get to the bottom of this," Pohland said.
One week ago, some of Hollis' family members stood in what they called quiet solidarity outside the St. Paul headquarters of the agency leading the investigation, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
"To just say a weapon was brandished and gunfire was exchanged leaves a lot to question," said Miss Nikki Holiday, a legal liaison for Hollis' family.
Hollis' family wants to see all footage captured by body and vehicle cameras, and to hear 911 calls from that day.
"A life was lost. Let's get to the facts before we just put these narratives out there and start smearing the victim," Holiday said.
Standing alongside the family Monday was Valerie Castile, the mother of Philando Castile, who was fatally shot by police during a traffic stop nearly a decade ago near the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in Falcon Heights.
"They just need some answers, and I'm here standing in solidarity because I've gone through the same thing and I didn't have anyone there to navigate me through that process," Castile said.
Police say they are not commenting further as the bureau continues its investigation.
