Body camera footage of fatal shooting involving Buffalo police officer released

BUFFALO, NY – Body camera video of a fatal shooting has been released.

A man is dead after a shooting involving Buffalo police Wednesday morning that Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said began as a traffic stop that “quickly escalated.”

The incident happened along Kensington Avenue, near Poultney Avenue, just after midnight, where a car was seen off the road.

WGRZ confirmed the man was Dae’von Roberts, 25. He is the brother of Jaylen Griffin, a 12-year-old boy who went missing and whose remains were found in April.

The video shows Roberts saying he has a 6-year-old nephew in the front seat of the car, he says it’s his sister’s child and it’s the child’s birthday.

The officer tells him he pulled him over because he was speeding, the little boy wasn’t big enough to be in the front seat, and he wasn’t wearing a seat belt.

The officer asks for a license and Roberts shows him a screenshot on his cell phone of a Georgia license indicating it is valid.

Roberts says there’s nothing in the car. The boy says, “You can search the back.”

Police can’t verify the license screenshot and Roberts says he’s on the phone with the boy’s mother.

The officer orders him to get out of the car and come toward him. He goes to write his name in a different way. When the officer opens the car door and asks Roberts to put down his phone, Roberts presses the accelerator.

The officer yells, “You’re gonna kill me, brother! You’re gonna kill me. You’re gonna kill me! Look out, look out, look out!” as he clings to the car.

You hear the child screaming and it appears that Roberts and the officer are fighting as the car continues to move. Roberts yells, “Stop!”

Roberts is then seen face down on the road, moaning as the officer yells “Shots fired! There’s a kid in the car again! He tried to kill me!” into his radio.

The officer runs to the car and says to the child, “Come here, come here, come here, baby! Come here!” The child responds, “My phone. Are you okay? Yes. You’re okay,” and holds him in his arms. The officer calls for an ambulance.
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Officers eventually found a gun under the driver’s seat of the car.

Watch the full video here.