BART Police Release Intense Shooting Video

54 Comments

This frame grab from a BART closed circuit television camera at the Civic Center station, shows a BART Police Officer shooting Charles Blair Hill (off camera) on Sunday, July 3, 2011.

SAN FRANCISCO – A dramatic video released Thursday shows a BART police officer drawing his gun and firing the shots that killed a knife-wielding homeless man July 3 at San Francisco’s Civic Center station.

The limited-angle video from a fixed BART security camera did not show the homeless man, Charles Hill, but it shows what officials say is his knife flying past the police officer and then bouncing off a BART train.

The flash of the officer’s gun can be seen at almost the same time as the knife whizzes by — possibly thrown by the homeless man.

Even with the limited view from the video, the only one to capture the 9:45 p.m. shooting, BART police Chief Kenton Rainey said he believes the footage is consistent with the officer’s statement that he felt threatened by Hill coming at him with a knife. The public has raised questions about the shooting and whether officers, who are equipped with Tasers, used excessive force.

Rainey said the officer fired three times after the 45-year-old Hill “raised his arm with a knife in an aggressive manner” and ignored a command to drop the weapon.

In a news conference at the agency’s headquarters in Oakland, interim BART General Manager Sherwood Wakeman said the transit district released the video in keeping with its commitment to transparency in officer-involved shooting investigations.

“It’s important to make this video available in a timely manner,” Wakeman said.

The San Francisco Police Department, he lead agency in the shooting investigation, had asked BART not to release the video until all witnesses at the station platform that night were interviewed.

With that now done, SFPD authorized the release of the 80-second video Wednesday.

BART officials said SFPD hasn’t set a timetable to conclude its investigation into the shooting, but plan to issue a progress report within 45 days.

Watch the Video >>

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Anonymous

almost 2 years ago

What's the big deal, the suspect used deay force, the Leo responded to deadly force. I feel it should be called a good shoot.
USLawman1983

almost 2 years ago

1568 Comments

No question - good shoot. Let the liberals spew their hate for police. That's what they do.
Scurge

almost 2 years ago

1238 Comments

People fail to realize a knife IS a deadly weapon. Locally suspects armed w/ edged weapons have been shot. Its the same thing every time. Why werent they disarmed w/ limb shots, why werent tasers used, why were they shot when they only had a knife? People dont realize how deadly a knife can be. Some can argue that a knife can be more deadly than a handgun. There are two ways to stop an aggressor psychological or physiological. Handguns arent very good at the later. In some instances its not smart to bring a handgun to a knife fight.
coshane220

almost 2 years ago

682 Comments

I watched the press conference video and I am in agreemant with everyone else...looks like a good shoot. That knife was thrown with a significant amount of force to bounce off of the side of the train the way that it did. The general public is safe and so are the officers, and that's all that matters.
Nostradamus

almost 2 years ago

48 Comments

This is text book righteous police response. Too bad some section of the public will never agree with me...Oh well !!!
Hbryant188

almost 2 years ago

594 Comments

People are ignorant to question the use of deadly force when faced with an aggressor with a knife. If a knife wielding suspect is advancing towards me I am NOT going to place my life on the line in the trust of a TASER.
DALLASCRANE

almost 2 years ago

19386 Comments

Good training...good results. Another no win PR nightmare.
alex82

almost 2 years ago

2194 Comments

Great shoot !! Keep on the good training !
SpencerStangz

almost 2 years ago

420 Comments

Good shoot...Officer AND public safe...nuff said
HapkidoKa

almost 2 years ago

1098 Comments

What stands out to me is that everyone picked up the pace once the officer began giving commands and the woman with the stroller actually began to run. The woman who walked by on her cell phone continued to slow walk the whole time............ Bet she was texting about the incident or trying to figure out how to get her cellphone cam to work.
AZmeangreen

almost 2 years ago

2338 Comments

SFPD need to up and move to another city and leave San Fransicko to its own demise...
HapkidoKa

almost 2 years ago

1098 Comments

Looks like a good shot to me. However SF is the hell hole of America- it's the same city that is trying to make convicted felons a "protected" group............................
ksphatcop

almost 2 years ago

1744 Comments

I painfully watched the 45 minute video and still cant believe how stupid the media can be especially in CA. Even with the limited angle I cant disagree with the majority that it looks like a good shoot. Only thing they didnt show was the timestamp on the video which I think would clear up alot of speculation and the 500 stupid a$$ questions the reporters asked.
lbso07

almost 2 years ago

70 Comments

Bringing a knife to a gunfight was a bad plan
ezimmerman80

almost 2 years ago

44 Comments

Just watching the video, I believe th elimited angle showed that the shots were fired at the moment the knife was thrown. It is at this moment that the officer's life came into jeopardy! No matter how you slice it good shoot. Hope it bodes well for the officer/s involved.