Investigators release body camera footage of fatal police shooting in Fort Washington Park

State investigators on Friday released body-worn camera footage from a fatal police shooting July 31 in Fort Washington Park.

Officers with the Maryland-National Capital Park Police and the Prince George’s County Police Department responded to a call of a shooting and an armed man walking near a river in the park, according to the Maryland Office of the Attorney General. U.S. Park Police officers arrived after the shooting.

During the incident, Anthony Delozier, a corporal who has been with the Maryland-National Capital Park Police for 15 years, shot and killed Alex Charles, 30, of Fort Washington, who was pronounced dead at the scene, investigators said.

The attorney general’s Independent Investigations Division was still reviewing the shooting as of Friday.

Footage from two of three responding officers, both of whom are with the Prince George’s County Police Department, showed the officers converged on Charles as he stood in a waterfront area of the park.

Delozier’s body-worn camera wasn’t turned on until after the shooting, according to a statement from the attorney general’s office.

In videos of the incident, the officers appeared to engage in a brief standoff with Charles, yelling “let me see your hands,” “put your hands up” and “don’t move,” and calling for him to drop his gun as they approached him.

After roughly 25 seconds in which the officers advanced on Charles with their weapons pointed at him, a gun was discharged, striking Charles and prompting one of the witnessing officers to curse.

Charles dropped to his knees in the shallow water and then fell on all fours.

Officers continued to yell for Charles to “get on the ground” and “on your face” as they moved closer to him.

As the officers neared Charles, one of them picked up a handgun that appeared to have fallen on the rocky beach a few yards from where Charles had been shot.

As one officer reached Charles, with his weapon still drawn, he continued to instruct him, “on your face.” The footage showed the officer pulled one of Charles’ arms out from under him, which prompted the man to fall onto his face and stomach.

As the officer bent one of Charles’ arms behind his back, he turned to one of the other officers and said, “get a helicopter.”

As the officer partially rolled Charles over, one of the other officers looked closer and commented that “he might be gone. He’s gone.”

One of the officers performed CPR on Charles for about 40 seconds. A second officer, standing alongside, said, “let me know when you want me to take over,” and he resumed compressions after the first officer stopped.

The footage ended shortly after the second officer began performing CPR.