Man Refuses to Pay His McDonald's Tab, Parks Car In Drive Thru, Ends Up In Standoff With Police, Shot Dead

GAITHERSBURG, Md. -- Body camera videos released Tuesday shows a 21-year-old Black man moving inside a parked car, apparently sitting up from a reclining position, moments before police shot and killed him outside a McDonald’s restaurant in Maryland.

At a media briefing, Montgomery County police Chief Marcus Jones narrated a 28-minute-long compilation of bodycam video excerpts and a recorded phone call between police and the driver, Ryan LeRoux, before the July 16 shooting in Gaithersburg. But the chief didn’t express any opinion about whether the Friday night shooting was justified.

Prosecutors in a neighboring county are investigating.

Jones, who didn’t take any questions from reporters, said police recovered a gun from LeRoux’s lap after four officers opened fire on him. The chief didn’t say whether investigators believe LeRoux raised a weapon or posed a threat to police during a standoff that lasted approximately 30 minutes.

Later Tuesday, LeRoux’s mother told reporters that her son was depressed, had lost his job and girlfriend, and was grieving the death of his grandmother last month. Rhonda LeRoux also said her son was living out of his car and had legally purchased a gun to protect himself.

“I wouldn’t wish this pain on any parent,” she said.

Rhonda LeRoux said the “handpicked” videos shown by police don’t show her son raising his hand with a gun or pointing it at officers.

“Ryan was sitting inside his car for over an hour. Clearly, the Montgomery County police failed to deescalate the situation,” she said. “Their way of resolving this situation was just to unload a barrage of 24 bullets into him while he’s sitting in his car.”

Police haven’t specified how many shots were fired by the officers.