SALT LAKE CITY (KTVX) – The Salt Lake City Police Department released body camera video of an officer shooting a 13- year old boy with autism on Monday afternoon, an incident that Mayor Erin Mendenhall and Police Chief Mike Brown called “a tragedy”.
It was Friday night, September 4, when 13-year-old Linden Cameron’s mother called 911 to report that he was having a mental health crisis. Neighbors reported a person screaming in the middle of the street.
The video shows officers chasing Cameron on foot before catching up to him on a sidewalk.
“Get on the ground, get on the ground,” an officer is heard shouting. “On the ground now. On the ground.”
Then he fires a series of ten shots in rapid succession.
“I don’t feel good,” Cameron can be heard saying. “Tell my mom I love her.”
Cameron was wounded in his shoulder, ankles, and stomach and was taken to Primary Children’s Hospital.
On Monday, Chief Brown and Mayor Mendenhall both referenced their own sons while speaking about the incident.
“As a member of this community and as the mother of a 14-year old boy, I am profoundly heartbroken and I am frustrated,” Mayor Mendenhall said. “This shooting is another tragedy. It’s a tragedy for this young boy, for his mother, and for families and individuals who have acute mental health needs. I think the community will look at this situation and they will see themselves or their loved ones reflected in it.”
“A 13-year old boy was shot and as a father of three sons, this has had an impact on me personally,” Chief Brown said. “I know that this has made an impression on the women and men of the Salt Lake City Police Department and of course you, the community we serve. I believe in the face of tragedy, we have a responsibility to analyze the circumstances that unfolded through a lens of learning.”
The shooting is being investigated by a critical incident protocol team, a civilian review board, and the SLCPD’s own internal affairs department.
See all of the video clips released by the SLCPD:
Two 911 calls from the juvenile’s mother and the audio recording of the radio traffic were also released.
