Chilling video has been released from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office showing the moment deputies say they were forced to fire their weapons several times toward an alleged shoplifter in Southwest Miami-Dade.
The five-minute video provides a mix of body camera, security footage, and a timeline of events that ended with a man dead.
According to deputies, the shooting occurred at a Walmart located on Southwest 211th Street off South Dixie Highway last November.
Investigators say loss prevention staff at the store alerted a deputy to a man, identified as 36-year-old Kennedy Graham, who was allegedly stealing from the store.
When the deputy approached Graham, officials say Graham ran toward the exit, leading to a struggle between the two.
Security video captures the deputy struggling with Graham as he tries to put him in handcuffs.
As the struggle ensues, Graham finds a way to wrestle free from the deputy’s grip and begins running.
Another angle from the video shows Graham taking off with what, deputies say, is a gun in his right hand. Officials circled the apparent weapon in the video.
The deputy then fires his gun three times at Graham.
In the video, officials highlight bystanders in the garage who watched this unfold.
A woman who asked not to be identified or show her face on camera told 7News she watched it all unfold.
“The cop was running behind him, and they shot him like three times. [Graham] ran like a little bit more, and he just fell forward, face forward,” she said.
Graham continued to run after the shots were fired as the deputy kept following him. Ultimately, officials said Graham collapsed on the floor outside the Walmart.
MDSO said additional deputies arrived and provided medical assistance until paramedics reached the scene.
Graham was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Along with the video, the agency released a photo of the alleged firearm that Graham was carrying.
Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said the 37-year-old deputy involved, who has not been named, is a five-year veteran with the law enforcement agency.
Following the shooting, the sheriff said Graham had an extensive criminal history.
“This individual had an extensive criminal past, and he was actively involved in a crime and was armed at the time of this incident,” she said.
In a statement on Thursday, Cordero Stutz said the video was released in the name of transparency.
“…Regardless of the outcome, my commitment is clear: to be transparent with our community, to hold ourselves to the highest standards, and to continue working every day to earn and maintain your trust,” the statement read in part.
Graham’s family believes his death was preventable. They were upset by what they saw on the video because they had no idea it was being released.
“We had to see this video with the world instead of privately first and it’s sad. I felt the officer didn’t have to shoot him that many times. He had already shot him twice. The gun was upside down. There were other options before taking his life,” said family member Shykiera Washington.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement continues its independent investigation into the shooting, as is standard in a deputy-involved shooting.
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