Disturbing Video Shows Cops Cornering Blind, Mentally Ill Man Before Fatally Shooting Him

Disturbing video of a 2015 incident has been released that shows cops cornering a mentally ill man before fatally shooting him.

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Disturbing video has been released that shows Fontana police officers cornering and ultimately fatally shooting a legally blind and mentally ill man at a Chevron gas station. The surveillance footage of the Nov. 22, 2015 police shooting death of James Hall "appears to partly contradict" previous accounts from the Fontana Police Department, the Los Angeles Timesreported.

The footage, first obtained by the Daily Mail, has been described by Hall family attorney Mark Geragos as an "indictment" of the involved officers. "It's a disturbing video indictment of the officers," Geragos told the Los Angeles Times Wednesday. "The video puts the lie to the obviously falsified police account of what happened. In fact, this was an execution." The department's initial account, shared on Twitter the day of the incident, said that "the suspect was reported to be armed with a knife" and had advanced on an officer prior to the shooting:

The new footage, however, shows 47-year-old Hall seemingly moving between counters at the mini-mart before being shot and falling to the floor. He does not appear to advance on the responding officers. In a suit filed by Geragos in San Bernardino County Superior Court, Hall is described as a "peaceful" member of the community who had entered the store "to browse." Police, the suit alleges, displayed "reckless and callous disregard" for Hall's constitutional rights in their handling of the encounter. Hall suffered from schizoaffective disorder and was also legally blind, the suit adds.

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The Fontana Police Department did not immediately respond to Complex's request for comment.

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