***WARNING: Graphic video contains images of blood, violence and death***
Body-worn video footage from the officer-involved shooting of Otis French, Jr. was made public Friday.
On Aug. 22, 2022, French was shot five times by a Bay Minette police officer. The officer has since been cleared of criminal charges. However, French's family filed a civil lawsuit claiming the officer knew French suffered from mental illness and failed to de-escalate the situation.
The officer activated his body-worn camera when he pulled over French for failing to signal a turn. The traffic stop seemed to be going smoothly, and the officer told French he would give him a warning for a light out.
The officer told him to turn on his hazard lights and step out of the vehicle to look at the light. After the officer said he saw a bulge in French's shorts, he attempted to pat him down for weapons. French told him he wasn't comfortable with people touching him.
The officer told French to put his hands behind his back and produced handcuffs, but French refused. The officer threatened to tase French, and that's when French struggled with the officer, shoving him to the ground.
French fled to the back of a house, then ran back to the front, where the officer immediately tased him.
According to the Baldwin County Major Crimes Unit, several seconds of the video are missing due to a body camera malfunction. However, it shows the shooting and graphic video of French's last moments.
French went to the ground after he was tased but then took the Taser from the officer and tased him once. The officer began firing shots with French still on the ground. As French struggled to stand up, he continued pointing the Taser at the officer. He went down into a bush and appeared to lose consciousness with the Taser still pointed at the officer.
After the shooting, other officers arrived on the scene, and the officer involved told them, "Let's get him some help." He attempted life-saving measures but was unsuccessful.
The officer was put in the back of a patrol car, where he was heard on camera praying for French's family and asking God to forgive him for his sins.
French, who suffered from bipolar disorder, had a history of attempting to elude police. He was arrested twice, in 2014 and 2016, for attempting to elude. In 2016, he was also charged with resisting arrest after officers said he used force to try and get away.
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