Newly released footage shines light on a 2011 incident in St. Louis where a police officer was shown shooting a suspect. The video shows officers Jason Stockley and Brian Bianchi attempting to arrest suspect Anthony Lamar Smith over an alleged drug sale before Stockley shoots Smith. What makes the situation even more controversial is that Stockley shot Smith with his personal AK-47-style rifle. It’s a violation of St. Louis police policy for officers to carry their personal weapons while on duty.
The video was delivered to several media outlets by an anonymous source, even after a federal judge forbade its release when a civil suit awarded Smith’s youngest daughter $900,000 in 2013. But the case has progressed in recent months as Stockley was charged with first-degree murder earlier this year after Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce said new evidence came to light.
In the footage, Stockley and Bianchi pull over Smith for a reported drug deal. Smith then fled in his car, officers then shot at him, including Stockley who used his personal rifle. It is a bit hard to hear what exactly the officers were saying in the video, but from the events depicted in the footage, the Circuit Attorney’s Office said the footage provides them with enough evidence to proceed with charges against Stokely:
“The people of the City of St. Louis have a right to determine whether the State has proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt. The courtroom is the appropriate forum for this matter.”
Stockley’s attorney Neil Bruntrager said there is another unavailable video that shows a different angle of the incident, and federal investigators had access to the video but declined to press charges.