Family reacts to release of body-worn footage showing deadly Suitland police shooting: FOX 5 Exclusive
SUITLAND, Md. - In a FOX 5 exclusive, family is speaking out after newly released body-worn camera footage shows an officer shoot and kill a man inside the Maryland apartment where he lived.
The video shows the fatal officer-involved shooting of 31-year-old Melvin Jay of Suitland. It was released Monday by the Independent Investigations Division (IID) of the Maryland Office of the Attorney General.
FOX 5's Shomari Stone says Jay’s family is devastated after watching the officer's body camera video.
The incident happened on February 1 when Prince George's County police responded to an apartment in the 5100 block of Suitland Road after receiving a 911 call reporting a breaking and entering.
READ MORE: Body cam footage released in deadly Suitland shooting
The officer who fired was identified as Prince George’s County Police Officer Braxton Shelton. Shelton was in uniform when he responded to the call at the Windham Creek Apartments. Officials say Shelton saw the front door unlocked when he arrived. The video shows him appearing to kick the door open with his gun already drawn. He found Jay inside the apartment and ordered him to show his hands.
The video then shows Jay moving towards the kitchen where Shelton fires one shot.
Jay died in his apartment. Police say they found a gun in his pocket and a gun in the kitchen sink. The gun in the kitchen is not shown on the body camera video.
Family reacts to release of body-worn camera footage showing deadly police shooting: FOX 5 Exclusive
"We are hurt. We are just tormented by the video, the fact that we cannot hear him, hug him, say ‘I love you,’ it’s just devastating to all of us," said Jay’s cousin in an exclusive interview with Stone. "We seek justice. We are going to allow this to unfold, allow the truth to come out, you know, and seek justice for my cousin. Because he deserves it. He did not deserve what happened to him."
Attorney Andrew Clark represents Jay’s family in a civil suit that has yet to be filed. He says the shooting is not justified.
"For compliance to happen, and for you still to be shot, what kind of world are we living in here today? Melvin Jay did not deserve to die," Clark said.
"Well, I ask you, to sit in your home, on your cozy couch, and have somebody that you don’t know that is coming into your house, barge into your house, and start making commands to you, and see how you react to that," Clark added.
The Maryland Office of the Attorney General IID continues to lead the investigation into the shooting.
Meanwhile, Shelton remains on paid administrative leave.