** (Disclaimer: This video content is intended for educational and informational purposes only) **
Thornton, New Hampshire — The Attorney General’s Office released body camera footage in New Hampshire fatal police shooting of 37-year-old Ethan Freeman. On the late afternoon of October 19, 2020, Police Officer Matthew Yao of the Thornton Police Department went to a residence on Four Wheel Drive in Thornton in response to a 911 call seeking police assistance for a man who had injured himself. The caller was the homeowner, who had called about his tenant, Ethan Freeman, who had requested an ambulance because he was bleeding and claiming of chest pain. Officer Yao arrived at the residence by himself, and walked up to where he believed Freeman lived. Officer Yao had interacted with Freeman earlier in the day, when Freeman had requested an ambulance while inside the lobby of a local school.
During that earlier encounter, Freeman was cooperative and had brief and nonconfrontational interactions with Officer Yao. Officer Yao walked up to Freeman’s apartment, and in a conversational tone asked Freeman in substance what issue he was having. Freeman replied by yelling various obscenities. When Officer Yao looked into Freeman’s apartment, he saw that Freeman was completely naked, bleeding, masturbating with one hand, and brandishing a wooden furniture piece in the other hand. Freeman continued to yell obscenities at the officer, and also repeatedly threatened to kill him. In response, Officer Yao immediately moved away from the front of the apartment and attempted to talk to Freeman in order to calm him down. Officer Yao also drew his service pistol and called over his mobile radio that his life had been threatened.
At that point, Officer Yao could no longer see into Freeman’s apartment, but could hear noises consistent with objects being broken inside it. Officer Yao tried to talk to Freeman and calm him down. Freeman spoke with Officer Yao, and repeatedly threatened to kill him. About a minute after Officer Yao withdrew from the front of Freeman’s apartment, Freeman jumped through one of the windows of his apartment. He was still naked and covered in blood. Freeman also told Officer Yao, “You’re dead,” and walked directly towards the officer. Officer Yao repeatedly yelled at Freeman to stay back, while himself walking backwards in an effort to create distance between himself and Freeman. Despite the officer repeatedly yelling at Freeman to stay back, Freeman continued to walk towards Officer Yao, approaching faster than the officer was able to back up. Because Freeman was so close to Officer Yao, the officer did not believe that he could safely transition from his drawn pistol to the less-than-lethal alternatives that he carried with him.
When Freeman was about ten feet away, and still advancing on Officer Yao, the officer fired two shots in quick succession. Freeman collapsed to the ground, and died from his gunshot wounds. Officer Yao explained that he shot Freeman because he feared for his life. Specifically, Officer Yao believed that when Freeman reached him — in a matter of seconds — he would do what he had repeatedly threatened to do — kill him — by taking and using against the officer his own firearm. Officer Yao also believed that if he was able to survive the struggle, Freeman could maim or otherwise seriously injure him. During the entirety of Officer Yao’s encounter with Freeman at the Four Wheel Drive residence, he was wearing a department-issued body camera that contemporaneously recorded events. The landlord who had called 911 for Freeman also saw the shooting.
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Timestamps:
0:00​ – Bodycam: School
5:09​ – Bodycam: Hospital
7:15​ – Bodycam: Arrival at House
10:03​ – Bodycam: Shooting
** (Disclaimer: This video content is intended for educational and informational purposes only) **
Sadly they just left this Ethan high at the school instead of getting him help. Then awhile later obviously much higher Ethans sick and high out of his mind. This resulted in death to Ethan. The whole thing is sad.
Zwykłe zabójstwo w biały dzień.
No taser? Just curious. Dudes high as shit tho, taser might be pointless. But they seemingly know each other. Cop should know hes just high out of his mind. Personally i would have let ethan walk into a punch or two, then he can wake up in a mental hospital and get some help. Oh well.. dude threatened your life. At that point, i dont feel remorse for shooting you. You asked for it.
Officer Yao sounds like that one anime voice actor Ben Disken
If the officer reads this: I commend you. You spoke to him like he was a human and did everything you could as a public servant. Bravo sir. Also, I hope you continue to serve. You are one of the good ones!
Dats unacceptable he coulda tased him a mile away 😪
Cop (when showing up to that house) : "Ethan, what's going on?"
Ethan tells him.
Cop: 🤯
What a fucking job to have.
Ethan come on. I'm herebto help you. raises gun
Wow. Officer Yao must be a newbie b/c he seems like he genuinely cared. I pray this incident didnt harden his good heart. I have love and BOUNDLESS respect for him. I pray this incident does not change the type of policemen he was aiming to be.
Cops do not get paid enough for the crap they have to deal with…. you would have to pay me 6 figures to deal with people like that.
If Ethan was black, there would be national Rioting, looting and murdering.
COD zombies lookin headass
I’m trying to figure out why this man was covered in blood
Wish he had brought back up and then maybe Ethan would have been restrained or brought down and would have received the help he needed.
10:10 Shit looks like a scene from the walking dead wtf is going on here… haven’t you watched the show officer….You gotta shoot him in the brain, it’s the only way to truly kill the walker lol
No taser huh?
He was naked, he was unarmed, and he had his pants over his legs still preventing him from actually running. The officer could have just kept moving.
So, let me get this straight. Unarmed, naked white guy gets shot to death by a Chinese cop? And there’s no riots?
Officer made the right decision. This guy was going to end up hurting or killing someone else down the road.
Wow! I feel so bad for this cop… He definitely didn't want to shoot Ethan.
He Could of tased him first
I can tell that police officer had a lot of empathy for him… He really didn't want to do that
The officer did a great job de escalating. Sad it didn’t work
Oh gawd this was scary 😧
To think now they are going to send unarmed Social Workers to houses. Get lots of life insurance.
Hate to see good cops have to go through this. We need the good cops so badly.
Who else gets a rush when you have to click, "I understand and wish to proceed"??!!!
Some people just aren't meant to be here. It's a sad existence with an inevitable end.
Officer Yao seems like genuinely good man and a good officer. You can hear it in his voice, how much he doesn’t want to shoot him. It’s terrible that the situation came to that.
If he was unarmed and naked why shoot him? Is there a weapon I'm not seeing?
Poor cop was nice trying to help , called queer and racial slurs etc 🙠sorry but Ethan was a danger to society u could see it comin !
damn what a shitty day
If he knew he was on drugs why did he not use taser?
You think you have problems until seeing someone like this.
Did he die?
So no CNN crying white cop shoots neighborhood Man with mental disorder? No riots. No innocent cops being charged??
"Ethan ,relax ,you ran like a mule 🤣🤣
:v
Looks likes a scene from the Walking Dead
😂😂🧟â€â™‚ï¸
Dude looked like a zombie at the end
Hey I have an idea – let's defund the police. I'd sure like to send a social worker the next time some crackhead is sticking glass up his bum.
This guy was out of a zombie movie, I can't even process that much crazy.
He got shot for no reason.. meth lives matter…