Mayor Suthers encourages CSPD to release body cam video in wake of shooting

Mayor John Suthers said he encourages the Colorado Springs Police Department to release more footage in the wake of a fatal shooting of a 19-year-old by CSPD officers this weekend.

Suthers spoke briefly to media Wednesday in response to the shooting of De’Von Bailey, which sparked a protest in downtown Colorado Springs on Monday.

CSPD says Bailey was wanted in connection with an armed robbery and was being chased by officers before the shooting happened. The department reports that a gun was recovered nearby, but few other details have been released.

A surveillance video obtained by KRDO showed the final seconds of the chase, and it shows Bailey fall to the ground as officers pursue him. But the video doesn’t show the whole incident, and it’s not clear if officers fired any shots before Bailey is seen entering the frame of the video. (Click here to watch that story.)

Despite the surveillance video being released on multiple media outlets, no official video has been provided by CSPD or the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office. Many commenters on social media have called for the department to release footage from the body cameras worn by the two officers involved.

During an interview Wednesday afternoon, Suthers echoed that sentiment.

“You have to be careful about when evidence is put out in the course of an investigation, but from my perspective, the sooner the body camera tapes are put out, the better,” Suthers said.

Bailey’s death is still under investigation by the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office; the two officers are on administrative leave.

We’ll have more from Suthers on this story tonight on KRDO NewsChannel 13.