Police release video of deadly shooting at Far North Dallas encampment

DALLAS - Dallas police say officers spent several minutes trying to get an armed suspect to drop his knife, using commands and less-lethal force before shooting him.

Police released body camera footage from the Friday night incident in Far North Dallas. They say the suspect lunged at officers with a knife.

Camera footage shows the tactics Dallas police officers used before the shooting happened, including verbal commands, a taser and a stinger.

Police were called to an encampment behind the Rock Creek Apartments at Belt Line and Preston roads around 7 p.m. by a woman who said a man with knives and a machete was hurting and threatening her.

"I need help, please!" a woman's voice can be heard yelling on a 911 call.

The woman made the call from her tent.

When officers made their way through the brush, they found the suspect, later identified as 34-year-old Cody Watkins, arguing with the woman in the tent.

The responding officers were able to get the woman away from Watkins and out of the tent, but he did not leave.

At a news conference on Monday, Chief Eddie Garcia said the three responding officers spent 50 minutes trying to deescalate the situation in stifling heat and get Watkins to some out.

"Back up, drop the knives with your hands up," one of the officers can be heard saying in the video.

"At one point, while continuing to hold a knife, he threw another knife at the direction of officers. When verbal commands were unsuccessful, an officer used pepper spray, a taser, 44mm stinger to get Watkins to comply," said Garcia. "The suspect yelled from the force and said, 'Why don't you just kill me then?!' And then came at the officers holding the knife."

Body camera video showed Watkins lunge out of the tent towards the officers while still holding a knife. Two of them, Senior Corporal Brandon Massey and Officer Dakota Capparucci, opened fire, killing Watkins.

"There was one individual who dictated the outcome of this and that was the individual who charged out of that tent with a knife threatening my officers.," said Chief Garcia. "Any loss of life is tragic it's tragic for everyone involved, for those who live near the scene and for our officers involved that night. This is never our intended outcome."

The woman was also taken to the hospital for minor injuries and has since been released.

Watkins had a lengthy criminal history of assault, fraud, unlawful carrying of a weapon and four charges of drug possession.

Dallas police say Watkins and the woman who called 911 knew each other, but they wouldn't share the details of their relationship.

Cody Watkins

The Dallas County DA’s Office is conducting its own investigation of the shooting. 

The Dallas Police Special Investigations Unit is continuing to investigate the shooting as well. 

No officers were hurt.