Video: Douglas County Colorado Sheriff's Deputy Confronts Armed Man During Active Shooting Call

By Lauren Penington

Source The Denver Post

Less than 15 seconds after arriving in the Main Event parking lot, a Douglas County deputy had already shot at 23-year-old Jalin Seabron nine times, according to body camera footage released Monday.

The deputy was responding to reports of an active shooting at the Highlands Ranch arcade and entertainment center just before midnight on Feb. 8 when he saw Seabron holding a gun in the parking lot.

Douglas County sheriff’s officials said Seabron pointed his gun at several people outside the arcade and ignored multiple commands from the deputy to drop his weapon. Sheriff’s officials said the deputy was left “with no choice” but to shoot Seabron after he turned toward the deputy.

Tyrone Glover, an attorney hired by Seabron’s family, said the video contradicts those assertions.

“The video footage confirms our worst fears,” Glover said in an statement emailed to The Denver Post. “Jalin Seabron, a young man celebrating his 23rd birthday, was unjustifiably gunned down while trying to protect his family.”

Glover said Seabron never pointed his weapon at anyone, his back was turned to the deputy when shots were fired, the deputy never identified himself or gave a warning before using deadly force, and Seabron was given no time to comply with the deputy’s commands.

Body camera footage shows that when the deputy arrived on scene, he immediately exited his vehicle and ran toward Seabron with a gun he had assembled and prepared while driving to the arcade.

“Hey!” the officer is heard shouting in the video. “Drop the gun! Drop the gun! Now! Drop it!”

All the warnings took place in roughly three seconds, according to the footage from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. When Seabron didn’t immediately respond and turned his head toward the deputy, not raising his weapon from his side, the deputy fired a series of nine shots.

Glover said Seabron never turned to face the deputy, but the 23-year-old did turn at least his head toward the deputy at one point in the video before he was shot.

Seabron’s right arm, which was holding the gun, was obscured by a vehicle for several seconds of the video footage so it’s unclear whether he was pointing the gun at anyone or whether he was holding the weapon by his side.

Seabron’s stepsister, 23-year-old Nevaeha Crowley-Sanders, faces 104 charges in the shooting, including five counts of felony attempted murder. Six other people were arrested on suspicion of being accessories to the shooting as well as multiple assault, weapons and drug charges.

Crowley-Sanders shot a friend of hers four times in the bathroom at Main Event before Seabron was shot outside by the deputy, according to an arrest affidavit.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office’s edited version of video footage from the incident confirms Seabron was shot by the deputy less than 15 seconds after the deputy arrived.

“We stand by our statement that we put out. That’s all we’ll release at this time due to it being an open investigation,” Douglas County Sheriff Public Information Officer Deborah Takahara said when asked about Glover’s assertions about the deputy’s actions. “When you see the video … it shows exactly what happened. We stand by the statement that he was pointing a gun at other people and he turned toward our deputy.”

Glover said Seabron’s family continues to demand maximum accountability for the deputies involved in the shooting and its aftermath; a full, thorough and independent investigation; a comprehensive reform of the sheriff’s office’s use of force policies and training; and full accountability from the sheriff’s office for misleading statements to the public “that attempted to posthumously paint (Seabron) as an ‘accessory’ to the earlier incident.”

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