WARNING: The video and story contain graphic violence and language. Viewer discretion is advised.
INDIANAPOLIS (WXIN) – A man who was shot and killed by police following a chase in Indianapolis livestreamed the incident and the final moments leading up to his death.
The video surfaced on Facebook Wednesday and spread quickly on social media. The shooting happened at West 62nd Street and Michigan Road.
It began as a police pursuit around 6 p.m. Officers reported seeing a vehicle driving recklessly on I-65 near 30th Street; the pursuit reached speeds of close to 90 mph, IMPD said.
The car stopped at 62nd and Michigan; the driver got out. IMPD said there was a confrontation involving the suspect that led to the shooting.
The man has been officially identified by the coroner as 21-year-old Dreasjon Reed.
WARNING: The video below is unedited and contains language and violence some viewers may find disturbing.
The Facebook video, which runs more than 36 minutes, shows the incident from the driver’s perspective.
About 1:55 into the video, Reed is listening to music and the sound of sirens is heard in the background. He mentions that he doesn’t want to go back to jail.
“This is fun, though,” he says. “I just can’t go back to jail.”
At about 6:02, as he continues driving, he says, “B****, you gotta do better than that! I’m not going to jail easy.”
He then says, “I love you, mama. I’m so sorry I put you through this. I love you, though.”
Reed continues driving and says police have to “do better” in order to catch him. About 12:40 into the video, he mentions that police are following him.
“Uh oh, I almost lost ‘em, y’all!” he says. “I almost got rid of his a**! There he is. Never mind.”
Later he says he lost them.
“Oh yeah! Oh yeah! Oh yeah! You’re not going to catch me!” he says. “I’m not going to jail today, no sir! You gotta catch me, baby! I’m not going to jail today.”
He then tries to figure out which street he’s on and decides to park and get out.
“Please come get me,” he says on the video at about 13:50. “I’m at 62nd and Michigan.”
What happens next is hard to decipher. Reed gets out of the car around the 14:00 mark and, presumably, runs. You can hear rustling and some voices, but you can’t see anything because the camera is obscured.
The camera pans up to show Reed briefly. About 30 seconds after he got out of the car, a buzzing sound is heard—presumably, a Taser that police said was deployed during the incident.
Reed yells an expletive and the camera pans up to the sky. Several gunshots ring out. The camera remains fixed on the sky for the duration of the video.
Several voices are heard, along with sirens and radio chatter. Someone yells, “Oh, my God!” several times.
All the while, the video continues to record for more than 20 minutes as music plays in the background.
Officers at the scene are unaware the phone is still recording.
At the 29:31 mark, a voice is heard saying, “Looks like it’s going to be a closed casket, homie,” which is then followed by a laugh. Officers also discuss the use of the Taser in the incident.
Distant yelling and sobbing can be heard in the background as well.
Officers discuss keeping the scene secure and look for shell casings.
In the final seconds of the video, an investigator is seen and apparently ends the feed.
