HOWARD COUNTY, Md. — Body-worn camera footage released Monday shows Howard County police officers pleading with a suicidal armed man to drop his weapon before they shot and killed him earlier this month.
WATCH: Footage sheds light on deadly Howard County police shooting
The entire exchange lasts less than two minutes between officers' first contact with Alex LaMorie and the deadly shooting.
LaMorie, an autistic man, had recently moved into Patuxent Commons, a building dedicated to supporting the independence of adults with disabilities and had not yet flagged his address.
WATCH: IN FOCUS: Police Incidents
According to police, the 25-year-old had initially called 911 to report he was the victim of an extortion scam and threatened to hurt himself.
RELATED: Man killed in police shooting called 911 to report he was the victim of a 'cruel' extortion scam
For more than nine minutes in the early morning hours of March 1 officers search LaMorie's apartment and the stairwell for him, unsuccessfully. Dispatch tells officers on scene LaMorie had been spotted across the street, and at about 12:18 a.m. PFC Joseph Riebau and another unidentified officer head that way.
About two minutes later: "This guy's coming at us with a knife," can be heard over dispatch.
It's Riebau, a 10-year veteran of the force, who makes contact with LaMorie outside in the parking lot and can be heard attempting to de-escalate the situation. LaMorie is barefoot and wearing only a shorts and a t-shirt despite the frigid temperatures outside.
MORE: Family of autistic 25-year-old killed in police shooting calls his death 'senseless and callous'
Riebau tells LaMorie: "Drop the knife... It's OK, we can fix this. It's a common scam... Can you please drop the knife and we can talk about this?"
LaMorie replied, "I can't do that, man."
"Come on, it's really not this bad. Listen, I've had this call a dozen times," Riebau said.
"I don't care, man. I don't care. I don't want to live anymore. I want to be free of my pain, man. I want to be free of my pain. Go ahead!," LaMorie responded.
After Riebau told LaMorie nobody wanted to hurt him, LaMorie laughed, saying, "I know that."
Meanwhile Officer Cody Bostic, a six-year-veteran and Officer Joel Rodriguez, a two-year veteran, who had been keeping an eye on LaMorie's apartment rush to get downstairs. In the elevator, Bostic asks Rodriguez if he had a taser, to which Rodriguez replied, "No... the new guy has a taser though."
The County has committed to investing in more less-lethal weapons, County Executive Calvin Ball sharing on Monday that the county has since purchased 200 tasers. But the police department has not answered questions regarding taser use and its policies, citing the state's ongoing investigation.
Moments later, they join the other officers outside as LaMorie begins to walk towards them with the knife still in hand.
The officers repeatedly command LaMorie to "stop," with Riebau pleading, "Please don't make me do this" as they slowly back away. At one point LaMorie can be heard saying "no."
Seconds before three officers discharge their weapons at LaMorie, Riebau says "we're getting cornered."
They fire several rounds, sending LaMorie to the ground where he begins to moan and bleed out.
Following the shooting, officers continue to command him to drop the knife. After about 40 seconds, they handcuff LaMorie, remove the weapon and begin to provide medical aid. He died at the scene.
"My heart breaks to know that my son was in stated pain and suicidal crisis. It is also disturbing to know that in his cry for help, during his darkest hour, the onus to save himself seems to have been placed on him when he was at his most wounded," LaMorie's mother, Jill Harrington shared in a statement. "We can and must do better."
Experts weigh in
“These officers did everything they possibly could to avoid that situation from occurring like that," policing expert Thomas Shea with Evidence Solutions Inc. said. "People could argue, well, if you would have shot him with a taser. What if you miss?”
Criminologist at Marymount University and Harrington's former co-worker Brooke Baker disagrees, telling WMAR-2 News: "From what I have seen, there [were] more options to de-escalate, and I do not think that lethal force was necessary in this case.”
In a press conference nearly two weeks after the shooting, Howard County Police Chief Gregory Der said the department was working to identify the person or persons behind the scam.
No arrests have been made.
The department also highlighted how two of the officers on scene had undergone Crisis Intervention Training, as 80% of their department has.
Baker points out that it's not the end all, be all.
She says that research shows that CIT training has shown to improve officers' attitudes around mental health and their knowledge, but not necessarily for how situations like this one end up.
"When it comes to safer on the ground outcomes, we really cannot claim this as effective," Baker explains. "Like in the case with Alex... there are situations where police are more likely to go back to their traditional tactics and traditional training, and that is instances where like a weapon is present or there is a perceived risk of violence."
The County is also reviewing its CIT training.
The footage can be viewed here.
Please be advised, the video contains graphic material that may be disturbing and is not suitable for all viewers.
If you need to talk to someone, call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 or text "HOME" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.
