Camcorder footage of the police officer who shot Ali Ali has been released

WOODBURY. State police chased Ali Ali into a wooded area, issued several verbal warnings and tried to incapacitate him with a Taser before fatally shooting him in September, body camera video released Thursday by the state attorney general’s office shows.

Ali, 28, was a suspect in several violent crimes, including a Sept. 16 murder at a Brooklyn laundromat. On Sept. 19, he fled New York in a stolen car, crashed it on a state highway, and then led law enforcement on an hours-long manhunt in Orange County that ended in a fatal shooting.

He also had arrests for sexual assault, robbery, sexual harassment, forcible touching and criminal mischief in the previous 18 months, according to the NYPD’s public information office.

In New York, cases of civilian deaths during clashes with the police are subject to review by the state attorney general. December 5 Office of Special Investigations of the Prosecutor General’s Office released a recording from a body camera carried by two state police officers identified only as Trooper Raymond and Trooper Colby.

The vivid videos, each lasting about a minute, open at 1:51 p.m. in the middle of the woods off Trout Brook Road. At least three officers and a police dog follow Ali, who is about 25 yards ahead of them. Officer Raymond says, “Please just stop, we shouldn’t be doing this,” while the unidentified officer says, “Ali, nobody wants to get hurt,” according to the video.

According to the video, the pursuit was led by Trooper Colby, who pulled out a taser when he encountered Ali cowering in the woods. He yells “drop the knife” before Ali runs off, prompting Colby to use a taser that appears to hit Ali in the back. According to the video, the suspect turns around, falling to the ground, then stumbles to his feet and starts moving toward the officers.

At this point, Trooper Raymond fires four shots at Ali with his patrol rifle, a a long gun carried by some state troops in addition to a standard Glock 21. According to the attorney general’s office, Ali allegedly had a knife in his hand as he moved toward the soldiers. On the spot, law enforcement officers seized a knife.

The release of the video comes after Attorney General Leticia James directed that “camera footage obtained by her office during the OSI investigation should be released to increase transparency and strengthen public confidence in these matters,” James’ office said in a statement.

The investigation by the Prosecutor General’s Office is ongoing.