- A state trooper in North Carolina fatally shot a man who appeared to pull out a gun during a traffic stop.
- Authorities released footage of the incident. Viewer discretion is advised as the video contains graphic content.
- The trooper has been placed on administrative duty while the shooting is investigated.
The North Carolina Department of Public Safety released police dashcam footage of a traffic stop that ended in a state trooper fatally shooting a 21-year-old man after he appeared to pull out a gun.
The video, taken on May 30, shows trooper Rodney N. Cook pulling over a white Ford pickup truck in Chatham County after observing the driver and passenger not wearing seat belts.
Cook asks the driver, identified by authorities as Mark Anthony Diaz, for his license and comments that he can smell marijuana in the car.
When Cook asks him to exit the vehicle, Diaz appears to pull out a gun. Cook then fires a single shot, hitting Diaz in his left shoulder and causing him to collapse.
The car begins to roll down the street, and the passenger flees from the scene on foot.
After disarming Diaz, the trooper performs life-saving measures, including CPR, until first responders arrive on the scene.
Diaz was taken away by emergency services but died from injuries later that day, according to The News & Observer.
Cook, who was not injured in the incident, has been placed on administrative duty while the shooting is investigated, the paper reported.
Moises Diaz, Mark's brother, told the paper that his brother was a nonviolent person and was surprised that he had a gun.
"I think he just got scared," Moises Diaz said. "If my brother did point the gun at (the trooper) with bad intentions, then at least they could have disarmed him, or tried their best to like, detain him, but then again, it was in the heat of the moment."
He told the paper that he believes his brother made a mistake in pulling out the gun and that he got "clarity" from watching the video of the incident.
"I got a little bit of clarity out of (the video)," said Moises Diaz. "No matter what the situation, it's clarity so I can move on with my life."
The 36-minute-long video released by authorities includes a brief edited version of events followed by the full unedited footage.
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