BALTIMORE — The body cam footage of the police-involved shooting that ended Bilal Abdullah's life came just days after the Baltimore City Police Accountability Board held an emergency meeting about the situation.
WATCH: Baltimore City Police Accountability Board on Bilal Abdullah body cam footage
The chairman told WMAR 2 News that it brought clarity but also shone a light on needed improvements in the department.
Jamal Turner - Chairman, Baltimore City Police Accountability Board
06:18:36;11
"It's not a loss you wanna take either way," said Jamal Turner, chairman of the Baltimore City Police Accountability Board.
Following a week of calls for justice for Bilal Abdullah, Baltimore City Police released body cam footage of the moment he was shot and killed by police.
Turner viewed that video before it was released to the public.
"Though it is saddening and disheartening, it does look like it was a justified police-involved shooting," he said.
The video shows that during a struggle with police on June 17th, Abdullah took a gun out of his bag, fired it at officers, dropped the weapon, then picked it up and raised it again.
"The only additional layer I'll add in as well is the excessive force of it that I have issue with. We have a problem with the number of shots."
Authorities on Monday said while Abdullah shot off 3 rounds, police shot off over 30 rounds.
Mayor Brandon Scott addressed the shooting at a separate ribbon cutting the same day.
"We should not allow anybody to be reduced to their life or circumstances around their death, but I'm going to be very clear: we cannot and will not allow individuals to carry and use illegal guns against police officers or anybody else in Baltimore without there being repercussions," Scott said.
The video also shows a crowd of people angrily getting in between officers and Abdullah immediately following the shooting.
"We look at every use of force as a possible learning opportunity because nobody's perfect. Our officers were put in a very, very difficult situation. They had to try to render aid, but their safety is also paramount because they were being surrounded by a crowd that was not happy," Commissioner Richard Worley said.
Turner told WMAR 2 News that the crowd response comes from years of the West Baltimore community not trusting police.
"When it's said that the crowd prevented the paramedics from being able to get there, I think that doesn't fully take into account the concern of the individuals and the increased triggered trauma and response that comes from what has occurred for quite some time."
He said that BPD has been working on that relationship, but more work needs to be done.
"A part of the work within the relationship in the community, of civilian oversight in the police department, is to identify those areas that need improvement and to either champion them and have it happen internally or to champion legislators to have it on a policy side."
Turner said the Police Accountability Board will bring up their concerns to police during their next meeting next month.
