PHOENIX — The father of a Phoenix man shot in the back by officers this month tells ABC15 there's "no justification" for the shooting.
Phoenix police officers Austin Martin and Ryan O'Hayer reported they saw Brian Streeter, 35, fighting in the street with his girlfriend on November 13. When officers approached the couple at the corner of 19th Avenue and Indian School Road, Streeter turned and ran.
Phoenix police released officer body-worn camera video of the shooting Wednesday. On the video, one officer yelled out that Streeter has a gun. Streeter pointed the gun at his own head as O'Hayer and Martin pursued on foot.
The chase goes around a row of businesses and down an alley before returning near the main intersection.
"Bro, if you don't stop right now, we are going to shoot you," one of the officers said. Both officers are white men. Streeter is black.
Streeter, still with his gun to his head and his back to the officers, yelled out his girlfriend's name just before police opened fire.
"It’s hard to swallow, Brian Streeter, Sr. told ABC15. "I could see if he was going to hurt somebody, but there’s no justification for shooting him like that."
Three gunshots are heard on the video. Streeter falls after the first shot. He suffered bullet wounds to the back and the leg.
"You shoot him two more times after he’s down; people need to know that," Brian Streeter, Sr. said.
According to the police report, Officer Martin said "he was afraid the male was going to either shoot him or officer O’Hayer, shoot at others driving by/put others in harm’s way."
The elder Streeter said his son did make mistakes, especially possessing a gun as a felon and failing to drop it when police gave orders.
He also said his son has mental health struggles including attempting suicide previously when facing arrest.
"This man has a gun to his own head," Streeter, Sr. said. "He never waved it at anyone, he never tried to shoot anyone, and you shoot him in his back."
Streeter's dad said the officers who opened fire were "basically rookies" and should have been partnered with more experienced officers.
Streeter's girlfriend later told police he did not assault her. She was not injured.
Streeter has been hospitalized since the shooting, and his dad said he was only allowed one short visit. The Streeter family also said police failed to let them see the body-cam video before it was released publicly.
"I want them to just come out and say that they are wrong - I mean it clearly shows that you were dead wrong," the father said.
The shooting remains under criminal and internal affairs investigation.
Got a news tip? Email ABC15 Investigator Melissa Blasius at Melissa.Blasius@abc15.com and follow her on Twitter and Facebook.
