Fort Lauderdale Police Department recently made public body camera footage from an officer-involved shooting at a local gas station, an incident that resulted in the death of 23-year-old Chad Mabry Jr. This confrontation took place back in January, at a Chevron station on Davie Boulevard, after Mabry apparently tried to evade a traffic stop. According to information obtained by Local 10, the harrowing footage captures the efforts of Fort Lauderdale officers to apprehend Mabry, who was later found to be carrying an airsoft gun resembling a real firearm.
As officers attempted to pull over a silver Mercedes driven by Mabry, he refused to stop, prompting the chase that would ultimately culminate at the gas station. The released video shows officers arriving at the scene, with Mabry then appearing to quickly retrieve something from his waistband, which officers at the time perceived to be a firearm. Fort Lauderdale Violent Crimes Division Capt. David Cortes said in the video, "As Sgt. Thomas exited his vehicle, so does the driver of the Mercedes. The suspect retrieves what appears to be a firearm from his waistband." In what became a fatally charged moment, shots were fired as Mabry ran away, as reported by WSVN.
Following the incident, Fort Lauderdale Police announced the officer involved had returned to full duty, and the body camera clip was posted to their YouTube channel for transparency. The police indicated, “You will see the firearm in the suspect’s hand. After the shooting, the suspect’s weapon was determined to be an air-powered replica firearm without any colored markings or other indications that it was a replica,” as reported by WSVN. The absence of those markings had led to the tragic misunderstanding.
Mabry's family said he was highly intelligent and was dealing with mental illness, which may have played a role in the tragic incident. According to Local10, Mabry died at a nearby hospital after a traffic stop about a mile and a half away, where detectives said he initially did not pull over.
