Bodycam Footage Shows Officer Involved Shooting

LAS VEGAS, NV - Las Vegas Metropolitan Police have released bodycam footage of the Dec. 9 officer involved shooting. During a press briefing on Wednesday morning Assistant Sheriff Todd Fasulo described the incident.

The officer involved was 39-year old Sgt. Miguel Garcia. He fired four rounds, hitting 54-year old Richard Mitchell one time in the right thigh. Mitchell was pacing near the main entrance to a Terrible Herbst on the corner of Vegas Dr. and Decatur Ave. when Garcia fired.

"To prevent Mitchell from entering the store and prevent patrons and the clerk from being injured, Sgt. Garcia fired four rounds from his pistol," Fasulo said.

Garcia's body camera was not activated during the shooting.

According to Fasulo, Mitchell was the suspect of two reported robberies on the morning of Saturday, Dec. 9, one of which the suspect reportedly said he had a gun. When officers approached his vehicle, Mitchell exited with a baseball bat in hand. Body camera footage shows the exchange between Mitchell and several Metro officers.

Officers are shown with their guns drawn repeatedly asking Mitchell to put the baseball bat down.

An officer, whose body camera footage was shown in the video released by LVMPD on Wednesday, is heard telling Mitchell to "Calm down, man. Relax."

(Above photo via LVMPD video release: A screenshot from the body camera footage of a Dec. 9 OIS released by LVMPD shows the front doors of the Terrible Herbst after Sgt. Miguel Garcia fired four rounds, striking robbery suspect Richard Mitchell once. Three apparent bullet holes can be seen near the bottom of the door. Damage done by Mitchell with the baseball bat to the door of the store can be seen near the handle of the left side door.)

Mitchell responds, asking officers what they want from him. The officer on camera then tells Mitchell that they need to investigate his vehicle in connection with the reported robberies.

"You've been seen going around to different places, asking for money. We got to figure this out, but you got to drop the bat. You got to drop the bat," the officer says.

After several request for Mitchell to put the bat down, he asks the officers again what they want from him. An officer off camera is heard saying, "We just want to talk to you that's it."

"We just need to talk to you about what you've been doing today. That's it. If you haven't done anything wrong you don't have to worry about it," the officer says.

After more requests for Mitchell to put the bat down, an officer fired four bean-bag rounds at Mitchell. Mitchell then began striking the doors of the business. When he tried to enter the building, Garcia fired a .45 caliber handgun.

Fasulo said that Mitchell had one prior arrest in Nevada, but an extensive criminal history in California. According to Fasulo, Mitchell has been arrested in California three times for battery domestic violence, twice for battery, four times for parole violations, and once for battery on a police officer. He has also been arrested and convicted of robbery three times and has four drug-related offenses, Fasulo said.

Mitchell was arrested previously in Nevada for open container.

Images via LVMPD