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Little Rock police have completed an investigation of a deadly officer-involved shooting last month and released video of the killing to the public. Officer Charles Starks fatally shot Bradley Blackshire, 30, during a traffic stop Feb. 22 at West 12th Street and Rodney Parham Road. Police said Blackshire was driving a vehicle that had been reported stolen. According to initial police accounts, the vehicle was stopped when Blackshire accelerated and hit Starks. Starks then opened fire. Mayor Frank Scott Jr., speaking at a news conference Thursday alongside Interim Police Chief Wayne Bewley, said that administrative and criminal investigations had been completed by the department and that findings had been submitted to prosecutors for review.
Scott also said the FBI was looking into the killing on behalf of the U.S. Department of Justice. Scott said that earlier this week Blackshire's family viewed footage of the killing recorded by police dashboard cameras. Police released a roughly 25-minute version of the footage Thursday afternoon. An attorney for Blackshire's family has disputed the police account of the killing. Omavi Shukur said the car was slowly rolling forward when Starks stepped in front of the vehicle and shot Blackshire multiple times. Shukur said Blackshire did not accelerate. Shukur also said there's no evidence indicating Blackshire knew the vehicle had been reported stolen. He has called on Arkansas State Police to conduct an independent investigation of the killing.
