CMPD Releases Body Cam Footage From Officer Involved Shooting

CHARLOTTE, NC — Charlotte police released Monday the body camera footage of an officer-involved shooting of man holding a gun outside a Burger King last month.

The video release Monday afternoon comes after a Superior Court judge granted a media request for the release of the footage from the March 25 incident on Beatties Ford Road, and hours after Charlotte city leaders urged calm in the community.

The March 25 incident occurred at a Burger King in the 2600 block of Beatties Ford Road. The male suspect, who was later identified as Danquirs Franklin, had reportedly entered the restaurant with a gun, then walked outside.

Police had received multiple 911 calls around 9 a.m. regarding the man who walked into the restaurant armed, CMPD said.

In the parking lot, the gun was still in his hand when responding officers arrived. Officers made numerous demands for him to drop it before shots rang out from an officer’s weapon, killing him.

Franklin was "acting kind of suspicious," and gave employees "an uneasy feeling," CMPD Chief Kerr Putney told reporters in a press conference at the scene following the shooting.

RELATED: Officer Shoots, Kills Suspect With Gun At Burger King

The suspect, who police confirmed was armed when he walked outside into the parking lot, was given multiple commands to drop the gun, Putney said.

"At some point, the officer — one of the first arriving officers — perceived a lethal threat and fired one round," Putney said. He was transported to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The weapon was recovered at the scene.

The footage released Monday is that from the chest camera of CMPD Officer Wende Kerl, as she arrived at the fast food restaurant and immediately demands Franklin show his hands.

“Let me see your hands now!” she yells twice, before crossing the parking lot to stand before Franklin, who was crouched inside an open passenger door of a sedan.

“Sir, put the gun down!” Kerl said, a command she and another responding officer yelled at him at least another 10 times. Franklin remained crouched and motionless, balanced on his toes and staring into the vehicle. His right hand, holding the gun, moves forward. Kerl shot twice and Franklin collapsed to the pavement.

Hours before the footage release, city leaders gathered for a press conference encouraging that any protests remain peaceful.

“It's another really sad moment and reminder that the responsibilities of law enforcement are, and will always be, immense," Mayor Lyles said, WSOC reported. "In the blink of an eye, their jobs require an instantaneous decision, and that's something none of us should take lightly."

CMPD Officer Kerl Body Camera Footage (Warning: Contents are graphic.)

WATCH: CMPD Chief Kerr Putney talks to reporters at the scene: