Mesquite police release video of officer-involved shooting of man armed with shotgun

MESQUITE, Texas - Mesquite police released body camera footage showing the moments leading up to a deadly police shooting last weekend.

Police responded to a neighborhood after getting a 911 call about a man outside with a rifle.

When they got there, he locked himself in his home.

An hours-long standoff ensued.

Video released by police show what appears to be a rifle peeking out of the man's front door right before an officer fatally shoots him.

Mesquite police spent five hours and 42 minutes trying to get the armed suspect to come out of the home using negotiators. 

During the time, police say the 64-year-old suspect pointed a shotgun at officers multiple times and also shot at officers.

"I can’t see through the trees. He’s got something in his hands," an officer said in the body camera video.

Newly released body camera footage shows the moment a Mesquite officer shot and killed a man after police said he pointed a shotgun at officers during an overnight standoff. 

On Friday, April 21, a 911 call came in at 10 p.m. about a man in the street without a shirt who was pointing what appeared to be a gun at the caller. 

The man was later identified as Jaime Reyes, who lived on Nabholtz Lane with his elderly father. 

"I don’t know what it is, a rifle, a BB gun, a pellet gun, something, and as soon as I come on the street, he is pointing it directly at my car," the 911 caller said.

The caller told dispatch Reyes then went to his home. 

Once Mesquite PD officers arrived, Reyes went outside again holding a shotgun. 

Officers gave commands to drop the weapon, but Reyes returned inside. 

That’s when police said they heard multiple rounds of gunfire from inside the home. 

At least one shotgun blast exited through a back window, and police said it nearly injured an officer staged in the back alley.

"There is a back window that was shot out, and an officer felt a projectile go over his head," Mesquite Police Department Sgt. Curtis Phillip said while explaining during the release of the body camera video. 

Mesquite’s tactical team and crisis negotiators were called in. 

Around that same time, police said Reyes’ elderly father was able to escape the home unharmed. 

Police said Reyes stayed behind and continued to look at officers through windows while holding the shotgun. 

Reyes refused all communication over the next several hours, into early Saturday morning. 

Family members who arrived on scene provided Reyes’ cell number to negotiators, but Reyes never turned on his phone. 

Just after 3:30 a.m., the tactical team deployed flash bangs at the front and back of the house. 

Ten minutes later, officers fired a less lethal round through the bedroom window. 

Police said the tactical team’s view on the ground was obstructed by large shrubs and vehicles parked in the driveway. 

The officer on top of the armored truck had the best view when Reyes eventually opened the front door just before 4 a.m. 

"[Reyes] is given commands. He has a shotgun and points it in the direction of the armored vehicle that was out front of the residence," Phillip said.

"Put your hands up and walk to the front door. Have nothing in your hands. Put your hands up," an officer is heard saying in the body camera video.

The officer’s body camera is blocked by the armor from the BearCat vehicle, but an officer’s dashcam was rolling, capturing Reyes walking out the front door holding the shotgun. 

"I can’t see through the trees. He has something in his hands," an officer said.

"Walk towards us," an officer told Reyes.

"Contact, he has a shotgun," an officer said.

That’s when a shot was fired.

"I can’t see, lost vision," an officer said.

"Shots fired," an officer added.

And a second shot was fired.

The officer on top of the armored truck fired both rounds, fatally striking Reyes. 

Mesquite police said Reyes was still in possession of the shotgun after the first shot, requiring a second shot. 

"I just know that he still had the weapon and attempted to manipulate it," Phillips explained.

Investigators recovered a shotgun on the front porch that they said belonged to Reyes. 

The identity of the officer who fired their weapon is not being disclosed at this time due to the ongoing investigation. 

Mesquite police said the officer has been with the department for nine years.