Body camera video released Monday shows a St. Louis police officer fatally shooting a 17-year-old in the back of the head as he fled. The footage also contradicts an earlier police statement that said the teen pointed a gun at officers.
“We recognize that the use of deadly force is difficult for everyone involved and for the community,” St. Louis Police Department spokesperson Mitch McCoy said in a statement acknowledging the new video. “We are committed to being as transparent as possible, even in dynamic and rapidly evolving situations.”
Emeshyon Wilkins’ family is calling the release too late—and for good reason. His attorney, Al Watkins, obtained the video as part of the discovery process in a federal lawsuit against the police department. Watkins said his office tried and failed to get the footage through a records request, adding that officials fought the request for more than a year. “We had to file a federal lawsuit to get it. That’s not transparent,” Watkins said. “Indeed, it’s irresponsible.” The family says authorities still haven’t provided a full explanation of what happened.
Wilkins was shot and killed in June 2024, just two weeks after he turned 17. Watkins said Wilkins had no prior criminal history and was Black. Wilkins’ mother, Shaina Wilkins, told a local CBS affiliate that she is “still waiting” for answers and that her son “should still be here.” The details of the incident have become a focal point for questions about police accountability and how information is shared with the public after deadly encounters.
According to police, the situation began when detectives attempted to stop an SUV that was reported stolen. Police said there was a brief pursuit, while Watkins described it as a slow-speed chase. He said the SUV was only going around 10 mph. Police said the pursuit ended with Wilkins fleeing the vehicle on foot, with two officers in pursuit—one holding a taser and another carrying a firearm, according to the lawsuit.
The video shows the officer yelling at Wilkins to get on the ground as he raises his firearm. The officer can be heard telling the teen to drop a gun. Wilkins keeps running, and then the officer fires. The suit says one of four bullets struck the teen in the back of the head, killing him. In Wilkins’ pocket, the suit says, was a firearm that was disassembled in multiple pieces and incapable of being fired. Crucially, Watkins said the video doesn’t show Wilkins holding the firearm in his hand or pointing it at the officer. “There was no threat to the public, and you look at the video, and there were no furtive movements,” he said.
After Monday’s release, the police department acknowledged that information provided by a third party to investigators in the immediate aftermath of the incident “was not consistent with the actual events or what was initially shared with the community.” The department said it has updated internal protocols since the shooting to provide more accurate and timely information. Now, a member of the body-worn camera unit “responds directly” to the scene so that investigating commanders can review footage before receiving detailed accounts from the public. The department added that an earlier review of body-worn camera footage could have provided “greater clarity” than what was available in the initial moments.
What’s especially uneasy here is how familiar the broader setting feels. St. Louis still bears the scars from the 2014 fatal shooting by a white police officer of 18-year-old Michael Brown—who was Black and unarmed—in the Ferguson suburb of St. Louis. Witness accounts at the time included claims that Brown had his hands up in surrender. The Ferguson officer was cleared of wrongdoing and resigned, and Brown’s death sparked months of protests.
Watkins said the public was assured change would happen, but he questioned whether the process is moving fast enough now. He said the officer who killed Wilkins was placed on desk duty with pay, and he criticized the timeline for next steps. Watkins also pointed to the need for a transparent explanation. “The family needs answers, and the only way answers can be given is if there is justice that is open and transparent,” he said. The St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office said it received the police investigative report in October and that it completes its own review of evidence and law to determine whether there is a basis for criminal liability. The office said it is committed to reviewing matters as expeditiously as possible while ensuring evidence and legal considerations are “carefully and thoroughly evaluated.”
In the days since, even small, ordinary sensory details—like the hush that settles when people watch footage frame by frame—have become part of how families describe waiting for clarity. And for Wilkins’ mother, the question is still simple and raw: why her son is gone and when the full story will finally match what happened.
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