Teen Shot In Back By Baltimore Cop, Body Cam Footage Shows

BALTIMORE, MD — Body camera footage of an officer-involved shooting that left a Baltimore teen in critical condition shows him holding a gun before he was shot from behind while fleeing police.

The footage, released Tuesday by the Baltimore Police Department, shows the moments leading up to when Detective Cedric Elleby fired his gun, striking 17-year-old Mekhi Franklin on Thursday.

Elleby joined the department in 2019, Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said during a news conference. He was placed on administrative duty pending an investigation.

The shooting happened near the 300 block of South Catherine Street in southwest Baltimore, police said. During an initial news conference, authorities said a Baltimore police officer was on patrol when he noticed Franklin, who is Black, "displaying characteristics of an armed person." As the officer approached, Franklin fled on foot, leading the officer on a chase through several alleys.

According to police, Franklin produced a gun during the chase and ignored the officer's commands to drop the weapon. The officer then shot Franklin, police said.

The footage corroborates most of the department's account of the shooting itself. In the video, Elleby is seen pursuing Franklin through multiple alleys. At one point, a gun is visible in Franklin's right hand, though he never points it at Elleby. The video then shows Franklin turning his body toward Elleby as he rounds a corner, prompting Elleby to open fire. In the video, Franklin falls to the ground and his gun drops from his hand and skids across the sidewalk.

The video then shows an officer providing first aid to Franklin as Elleby points a gun at a gathering crowd. "Back up," he shouts. "Everybody back up!"

Police did not confirm where Franklin was shot; however, multiple witnesses told the Baltimore Banner he was hit in the back. Witnesses also told the Banner that Elleby had spent several minutes sitting on a stoop and talking with Franklin earlier that day.

Franklin, a junior at Francis M. Wood High School, spent five hours in surgery following the shooting, his mother told the Banner. Doctors removed his spleen, his left kidney, and a piece of his liver, according to the Banner. Doctors also had to repair his left lung after it collapsed.

Kieria Franklin said police wouldn't let her see her son without an officer escort.

"This is ridiculous. I'm mad, mad, mad," she told the Banner. "I'm feeling like my son was shot like a dog by Baltimore Police. Now I can't talk to my son."

During Tuesday's news conference, Harrison said the department is committed to doing "a thorough investigation" into the shooting.

"We understand the high level of scrutiny that results in any use of force by our officers," Harrison said. "We do not take that scrutiny lightly."