Long Beach police have released video of a officers fatally shooting an 18-year-old man as he allegedly tried to rob a 7-Eleven store in September.
The video shows the man, Jordan Michael Griffin, wearing dark clothing and a mask, pointing a gun—which turned out to be a BB gun—at a store clerk before police come inside and shoot him around 11:30 p.m. on Sept. 19.
It is some of the first video the LBPD released under a new state transparency law that requires departments to show the public footage of critical incidents like police shootings. The videos, taken from 7-Eleven’s security cameras, shows three different angles of the shooting.
(Editor’s note: The following footage is graphic.)
The officers at the scene hadn’t been issued body cameras, so the security camera video, which has no audio, was the only footage available, police said.
Police said two detectives at the scene that night shot at Griffin. In a video presentation released with the raw footage over the weekend, the LBPD reiterated what led up to the shooting.
Police said detectives were following a car they believed had been involved in a series of robberies earlier in the week.
When the driver parked and Griffin got out, officers weren’t able to stop him before he headed into the 7-Eleven at Pacific Coast Highway and Clark Avenue, according to police.
As officers headed toward the store, they saw Griffin pointing what they thought was a real handgun at the 7-Eleven’s clerk, police said. Officers hurried inside and ordered Griffin to drop the firearm, police said. When he “turned toward them with a gun in his hand,” officers fired, the LBPD said.
After the shooting, police learned the pistol in Griffin’s hand was actually a CO2-powered BB gun.
Police have not revealed how many times Griffin was shot. He died at the scene, police said.
The district attorney’s office and LBPD are still reviewing the shooting to determine whether the officers’ actions were legal and appropriate under departmental rules, respectively. It’s rare for the LBPD to decide officers violated any department policy when they fired on someone. Both detectives who shot in this case are still on-duty, an LBPD spokeswoman said.
After the shooting, police arrested a 22-year-old named Devontae Moore, who was in the car parked outside the 7-Eleven, authorities said.
He was charged with six counts of robbery and one count each of attempted robbery, attempted burglary and assault with a deadly weapon, according to the LBPD.
He’s pleaded not guilty, court records show.
Police said they believe Griffin was also involved in multiple robberies in the days leading up to the shooting.
Editor’s note: Shortly after publication, this story was updated with more information from the Long Beach Police Department about how many officers fired.