April 16, 2021- 9:00 p.m.
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A man fatally shot by police, Wednesday, was shot inside his own home, said DeKalb County PD Chief Mirtha Ramos.
Police released body camera video on Friday showing officers pleading at length with 35-year-old Matthew Williams to drop his knife.
It was an incident where the very premise of the 911 call was flawed, according to the body camera video and information provided by Chief Ramos.
DeKalb Police arrived at a house where a neighbor had reported a prowler.
“What are you doing here? You live here?” police are heard saying to a man inside a house a neighbor claimed was vacant.
“If you don’t live here, man, I’m kindly asking you to leave the property, all right?” an officer tells Williams. As Williams exits down an outside staircase, police said he lunged at an officer with the knife.
An officer fired one shot, but police said Williams fled into the trees surrounding the house. In bodycam video, the officer speculated that she’d shot him in the shoulder.
“Drop the knife, man!” An officer says. “Drop the weapon. Drop the weapon,” says another. Before the incident ends, police are heard ordering him 47 times to drop the weapon.
“We will shoot man, all right? We gave you ample warnings, all right?” says a frustrated officer to Williams.
The video indicates Williams slipped out of view and back into the house. Police returned to the front door. “Please come out boss man. How can I help you?” says a man who identified himself as Sgt. Perry with DeKalb PD.
Another 60 seconds pass, then an officer kicks in the door. But then the door closes from inside.
“I’m begging you. You’re a Black man. I’m a Black man. You don’t have to die today. I don’t want you to die today,” Perry pleads with Williams through the closed door.
This conversation continues for nearly two minutes, with Williams saying “I’m defending my property,” contradicting the claim of the neighbor who said he was a prowler.
