With no body cam footage, only video is from after shooting of Portland suspect Reinoehl
Video can be critical in police shooting investigations, but it’s not always available.
Investigators looking into the fatal shooting of Michael Forest Reinoehl near Lacey Thursday night have not yet been able to find video of the incident, which drew national interest since Reinoehl was wanted for the shooting death of a right-wing activist who was part of a pro-Trump caravan in Portland.
Four law enforcement officers fired their weapons.
They include two deputies from the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, a Lakewood police officer and a Washington State Department of Corrections officer. No one from the U.S. Marshals Office fired guns.
Body or dash cam footage?
No body camera or dashboard camera footage was recorded of the shooting, according to Thurston County sheriff’s Lt. Ray Brady.
The involved officers and deputies were part of a federally led task force that tracks down violent offenders. None of those agencies use body cameras or dashboard cameras.
The five-county Region 3 Critical Incident Investigation Team, led by the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office, is investigating the shooting and will search the areas for possible surveillance video or Ring-doorbell footage.
Cell phone video after the shooting
A cell phone video taken after the shooting by Jashon Spencer, who lives in the Tanglewilde neighborhood, was placed online and shows the aftermath in a 9-minute, 55-second recording.
That clip shows law enforcement officers — some wearing masks, others not — walking the scene and talking on cell phones.
Evidence markers marking some of the spent cartridges could be seen on the ground. A law enforcement officer can be seen doing CPR on Reinoehl.
Spencer says in the video he was sitting in his backyard when he heard gunshots and mistook them for fireworks.
“I was sitting in my backyard and all I heard was pop, pop, pop, pop, pop,” he said. “They were not playing. I think he dead.”
It’s unknown how many shots were fired by law enforcement officers, though some witnesses reported hearing close to 50.
“There were multiple shots fired,” Brady said, adding that it’s too soon to estimate a number.
The investigation is ongoing and an autopsy is scheduled to be performed Wednesday.
This story was originally published September 4, 2020 at 2:54 PM.
