LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky State Police released video Thursday of an undercover Louisville Metro Police officer shooting a man on June 19 police said was trying to rob him in the Portland neighborhood.
The video shows a masked man — identified by the family as Mark Jaggers Jr. — walk across the front of the unmarked police car and approach the driver door. Officer Matt Hayden opens the door, yells "Police!" and fires three shots.
The two officers in the car immediately tried to render medical aid, according to interim Chief Jackie Gwinn-Villaroel, but Jaggers died at University of Louisville Hospital as a result of his injuries.
Watch the full video below:
Gwinn-Villaroel said two undercover officers with LMPD's Fugitive Unit were inside a vehicle near the intersection of Griffiths Avenue and North 22nd Street attempting to apprehend a suspect in an unrelated investigation.
After shooting Jaggers, Hayden can be heard on the body camera video yelling "What is your deal, bro?"
Jaggers responds "I wasn't gonna rob you."
A slowed down version of the body camera video includes a freeze frame of what appears to be a gun in Jaggers' hand.Â
Louisville Metro Police Department Officer Matthew Hayden
"Based on bodycam footage, Mr. Jaggers was armed when he opened the driver's side door of the police vehicle and when the bullets fired by Officer Hayden struck him," KSP Public Affairs Commander Capt. Paul Blanton said in a video news release Thursday.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg released a statement Thursday evening, saying Hayden was "protecting his own life from an armed assailant."
"I want to thank the Kentucky State Police for their assistance with this investigation and I appreciate their hard work to release this video in a timely manner," Greenberg said in a written statement. "Any time a person loses their life like this it is a tragedy. In this case, it is clear from the video that the officer was protecting his own life from an armed assailant. He quickly called for help, rendered aid, and made sure to record the entire encounter by activating his body-worn camera.
"This is another tragic example of why we must keep guns off our streets and ensure we are doing all we can to prevent young people from turning to violence and crime. Our administration and the entire community remain committed to that goal."
Mark Jaggers Sr., Jaggers' father, said in the days following the shooting that he doesn't believe his son was trying to carjack the officers and that he didn't know anyone was inside the car.
"That car was sitting here for three hours.... My son thought it was a dumped car," Jaggers Sr. said. "I know it's still illegal, I know. But it's not worth getting shot over."
Shortly after Jaggers was shot, a woman is seen on the body camera video standing outside a nearby car. She shouts as the officer, asking "Did you just shoot my baby daddy?" and screaming that their son is in the car behind her.
As Jaggers laid on the ground, the woman repeatedly screams out Jaggers' name and pleads with Hayden to let her sit next to Jaggers. The officer keeps her back until more officers arrive.
As officers begin chest compressions on Jaggers, sirens can be heard in the background, conceivably from the arriving ambulance. As the body camera video ends, officers were continuing chest compressions as someone arrives on scene, yelling "Which one of ya'll shot him?...That's my brother!"
After the video was released, an attorney for the Jaggers Family told us they have serious questions about how police are framing the situation, saying what's been released so far is misleading and doesn't show the full picture.
They plan to hold a press conference Friday morning.
Hayden, a 10-year veteran of LMPD, was placed of paid administrative leave. None of the officers at the scene were injured.
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