Bodycam video of deadly La Mesa police shooting released when the suspect pointed gun at officers
By: Officials on Thursday released bodycam video of a deadly police shooting in La Mesa earlier this month.
The shooting happened around 4:15 p.m. on Aug. 6 in a parking lot located at 8000 University Avenue.
Footage released by police shows the moments that led to the shooting from the body-worn cameras from both officers at the scene, who were searching for 41-year-old Jason Hampton.
The first part of the video details that the officers were in the area searching for Hampton, who had an active felony burglary warrant, according to LMPD.
The video then transitions to the bodycam of Officer Jacoby, which shows the other officer, identified by police as Brian Heller, duck after the suspect pointed a gun at him after officers approached the man.
You can then hear several gunshots that were fired from Officer Heller and see Hampton attempt to run away from police.
The video then transitions to Officer Heller’s body-worn camera, showing him approach Hampton and ask him, “Are you Jason?”
According to LMPD, the suspect then pointed a handgun at Officer Heller and pulled the trigger multiple times, but the firearm malfunctioned.
The video shows Hampton then try to run away while Officer Heller fires several rounds towards him. After a few seconds, the officer fires several more rounds at Hampton, hitting him and dropping him to the ground.
Hampton was eventually pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting after life-saving measures were attempted.
The video then shows still images and slowed down footage from the incident, including a still frame of Hampton pointing his gun at Officer Heller.
An image of the handgun recovered at the scene shows what police believed was the cause of the malfunction, showing that one round failed to fully eject, causing another round to feed into the chamber, police said.