FLAGSTAFF, Ariz., Jan. 15 (UPI) -- The body camera worn by a Flagstaff, Ariz., police officer recorded the last moments of his life as he investigated a report of minor domestic violence.
Officer Tyler Jacob Stewart, 24, had been with the Flagstaff department for less than a year when he was shot dead Dec. 27. Robert William Smith, 28, has been charged with his murder.
Flagstaff police released the video in response to media requests.
Stewart went looking for Smith after his girlfriend called police to complain he had damaged her apartment following an argument about doing the dishes. The officer eventually located Smith at his own home.
The body camera showed what appeared to be a calm conversation between the two young men. But there was one break when Smith ducked into his bedroom and returned with his right hand in his jacket pocket.
As the two men walked outside, Stewart asked Smith if he had a weapon, which Smith denied. When the police officer said he wanted to search Smith, Smith first said all he had on him were "smokes" and then, when Stewart reached for his pocket, pulled out a handgun and opened fire.
Stewart was hit by five bullets, four of them in the head. A sixth ended up in the tile in Smith's kitchen.
The footage that was released does not show Stewart's death. Flagstaff police said the video records a total of six shots, three before and three after the camera fell to the ground.
