BLACK MAN DIDN’T POINT A CELL PHONE AT COPS.

From [HERE] Body-worn camera video released Thursday shows that Kilyn Lewis was holding a cellphone with both hands up when an Aurora Police officer shot and killed him last month.

Three camera angles show the 37-year-old Lewis behind a red Chevy Monte Carlo with both hands visible when SWAT teams attempted to arrest him in connection to an attempted homicide that occurred earlier that month. Three officers shout multiple commands and Lewis can be seen putting his left hand into his pocket and his right hand behind his back as he turns toward two of the officers.

He then puts both hands up and is holding a black object in his right hand. That turned out to be a cell phone. He does not point it at the officers. Officer Michael Dieck, one of three surrounding Lewis, fired a single shot from his rifle.

The video released by APD is narrated by Interim Chief Heather Morris and edited to show the perspective of three officers. It shows the moment they first confront Lewis until the moment he is shot. Seven seconds pass between the time he is ordered to “get on the ground” and when the shot is fired by Dieck. 

“As you will see, Lewis took several steps and placed his right hand behind his back out of view,” Interim Aurora Police Chief Heather Morris said in the video. “When his hand came back into view, he was holding an object and one of our officers fired a single shot.”

Lewis appears to be bending his knees as though he is going to comply with the command to get on the ground when Dieck fires the shot.

“I don’t have nothing! I don’t have nothing! I don’t have nothing!” he shouts as he falls to his side. He died two days later in the hospital.

At a press conference held shortly after the video was released, an attorney for Lewis’s family called the incident a “murder.” [How was this unprovoked assault not a murder? what is this deluded “journalist” talking about here??]

“Aurora police officers had a duty to enforce the law that day. They failed. They didn't arrest one of their own when he clearly committed murder. What we all saw on that video is not policing,” said attorney Edward C. Hopkins.  “When he took that shot, the rest of the officers looked at him with perplexity. There was a reason why they didn't take the shot. There was no reason to take the shot.”

Lewis died at the hospital two days after he was shot. Dieck is on paid administrative leave as standard policy. A Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) led by the 18th Judicial District is leading the investigation to determine if Dieck’s actions complied with state law.

“I know that nothing I can say can ease the pain this family is feeling. What I can do is ensure that a complete and thorough investigation is conducted and share those findings with our community,” Morris said. “We are committed to transparency and we will always seek ways to improve how we serve the people of Aurora.” 

Dieck is a decorated 12-year veteran of the Aurora department. He previously was cleared in a 2018 shooting of a domestic violence suspect in which he fired seven shots at a man who had first fired at officers from a taxicab. That suspect survived.

Lewis’s family is being represented by Hopkins, from the firm responsible for some of the largest police misconduct settlements and verdicts in the state, Rathod Mohamedbhai. At the press conference at the firm’s offices, Lewis’ mother, LaRonda Jones, called for accountability on the actions of Dieck. Jones did not watch the video. But, she can only visualize what happened to her son.

“He should be alive right now. Right here in this very presence amongst all of us. But he's not,” Jones said. “It just really don't feel reel right now to me. I can't even begin to process what has happened to my son… But justice will not be denied. Just as you Officer Dieck stripped my son of his rights, I demand that you too face the consequences of your actions.”