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Body-camera video released Monday shows a St. Louis police officer fatally shooting 17-year-old Emeshyon Wilkins in the back of the head as he ran away, a sequence that the family’s attorney said contradicts an earlier police account given to the public.

Al Watkins, an attorney for Wilkins’ family, obtained the video as part of discovery in a federal lawsuit against the St. Louis police department. Watkins told The Associated Press that his office tried and failed to obtain the video through a records request before having to file suit to get it, calling the process not transparent and “irresponsible.”

The shooting happened in June 2024, about two weeks after Wilkins turned 17. Watkins said Wilkins had no prior criminal history and was Black.

Police previously said the incident began when detectives attempted to stop an SUV that was reported stolen. Police said there was a brief pursuit, while Watkins described it as a slow-speed chase, adding that the SUV was only traveling about 10 mph.

According to the lawsuit described by Watkins, the chase ended with Wilkins fleeing on foot with two officers in pursuit—one with a taser and another with a firearm. The video, the suit says, shows the armed officer yelling at Wilkins to get on the ground as Wilkins raises the firearm, with the officer heard telling him to drop a gun before the officer fires. One of the four bullets struck Wilkins in the back of the head, the suit said, killing him; the suit also says a firearm was in Wilkins’ pocket but disassembled in multiple pieces and incapable of being fired, and that the video did not show Wilkins holding the firearm or pointing it at the officer.

Watkins said there was “no threat to the public” and that when people look at the video they would see “there were no furtive movements.” He added that he believes the public was assured change would happen after prior police shootings, but that the officer who killed Wilkins was placed on desk duty with pay.

Police acknowledged Monday, after the video release, that “information provided by a third-party to investigators in the immediate aftermath of the incident was not consistent with the actual events or what was initially shared with the community.” The department said it now sends a member of its body-worn camera unit to such scenes so that footage can be reviewed by investigating commanders before detailed public accounts are provided, saying that in this case earlier review of body-worn camera footage would have provided greater clarity than what was available in the initial moments.

The department’s admission comes amid a longstanding backdrop of scrutiny in St. Louis following the 2014 fatal shooting by a white officer of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson. Brown, who was Black and unarmed, died after some witnesses said he had his hands up in surrender, and his death sparked months of protests.

Watkins also questioned why the process has taken so long and said the family needs answers and justice that is open and transparent. The St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office said it received the police investigative report in October, and that it completes its own review of the evidence and law to determine whether there is a basis for criminal liability, adding that it is committed to reviewing each matter as expeditiously as possible while ensuring the evidence and legal considerations are carefully and thoroughly evaluated.