Civil Rights and Police Accountability

Bodycam footage released after a year-long legal fight shows a St. Louis police officer shooting 17‑year‑old Emeshyon Wilkins in the back of the head as he fled following a stop of a reportedly stolen vehicle, contradicting earlier accounts from investigators. The newly published video does not show Wilkins pointing a gun at officers; a federal lawsuit filed on his family's behalf says the firearm recovered from Wilkins was disassembled into multiple pieces in his pocket and therefore incapable of being fired. The family’s attorney only obtained the footage after filing a federal suit and a denied records request, underscoring the delay in public access to the bodycam material.