JUSTIFIED OR NOT? Phoenix Police Shoot And Kill Man Suffering From Mental Illness Throwing Rocks At Them

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - Family members received a heavily edited video of body camera footage showing Phoenix police officers shooting and killing 34-year-old Ali Osman on September 27.

According to Phoenix police, two different officers were driving near 19th Avenue, south of Glendale Avenue, when they heard something hitting their patrol car around 6:45 p.m. The officers pulled over and saw Osman throwing rocks at them. They reportedly told Osman to stop throwing rocks, but when he refused, officers opened fire.

The family held a press conference Friday afternoon. The attorney representing the Osman family, Quacy Smith, showed attendees the edited video. “I am more convinced than I have ever been in my life after viewing that body camera footage that Mr. Osman — this is not just homicide, this was murder,” said Smith.

The video shows a damaged spotlight on one of the patrol cars. The officers called for a helicopter and backup from officers who use less than lethal force. The officers then decided not to wait for backup and rushed to Osman’s location. One of the officers was alone when he reached Osman. He was also the first to arrive and exit his patrol car with his service weapon drawn.

The solo officer was hit in the shin with a rock as he moved closer to Osman, where there was no cover to duck behind. The officer continued to shout for Osman to drop the rocks. He appeared to start winding up to throw another rock, which was when the officer shot multiple times at Osman, who fell to the ground.

“They could have hid behind the door of their car while he was throwing rocks, they could have sat in the car while he was throwing rocks,” said attorney Dwane Cates. “He was backing up when he was shot and the officer was advancing toward him”.

In the video, an officer explains that the department doesn’t currently use in-vehicle body cams, which would activate while inside a patrol vehicle without needing to activate outside of the vehicle first. The family said watching the video only raised more questions as to the motive of the officers, especially after they called for less-than-lethal backup.

On Tuesday, Osman’s family and attorneys held a news conference to express their outrage about what happened. “They could have used any other non-lethal method,” said Osman’s niece Ikran Aden. “They could have tased him, gotten help through backup, just any other way than shooting him. It was wrong, really wrong, over a small rock. That is not justified.”

Family members said Osman suffered from mental illness and was receiving regular treatment. He had been living in Tucson and came to Phoenix to visit friends. It’s unclear why he was throwing rocks at officers.