* (Disclaimer: This video content is intended for educational and informational purposes only) *
O’Fallon, Missouri — St. Charles County Police have released body camera video that shows a shooting of a 17-year-old. On January 23, two officers with the O’Fallon Police Department responded to a call for a suspicious vehicle that was unlicensed and had heavy damage, with two people inside from a resident living in the 500 block of Prentice Drive. One of the officers approached the car and knocked on the window. The teen looked up, then down. The officer tapped the barrel of his handgun on the window, then smashed it through the glass. The car lurched into reverse, then drive. Then both officers, one on each side of the car, began firing, at least 15 rounds in all, as the car sped off over a suburban lawn. The officer later told investigators he saw through the window a hand holding a gun, and feared for his life. At least two bullets hit the car’s driver, 17-year-old Christopher Jones, who died. The passenger, another teen, was arrested. A handgun that had been reported stolen was recovered from the car after the shooting, police said.
The incident started just before 11 a.m. Jan. 23 when police were called to the 500 block of Prentice Drive in O’Fallon for reports of a “suspicious vehicle,” without license plates, idling. Two people appeared to be sleeping inside. Body camera footage from Officer Matthew Vegovisch shows him walking up to the driver’s side window of the white Honda, pulling at the door handle, and drawing his gun. Jones looks at Vegovisch and then toward the inside of the car. Vegovisch pulls at the door handle, saying “open the door” and “don’t!” Vegovisch smashes the window glass with the barrel of his gun and the car reverses, hitting the front of Vegovisch’s patrol car with its bumper. Vegovisch then steps away from the Honda and begins firing as the car drives forward. He continues shooting as it drives through part of a front yard and down the street. In a statement to St. Charles County Police Department investigators, Vegovisch said when he walked up to the car, he saw “a hand on the center gear shifter and simultaneously saw a hand holding a black handgun.”
He said he broke the window “in an attempt to get the occupant’s attention … to stop what they were doing.” Video from the passenger’s side shows Officer Michael Manzella tapping on the window with his hand. The car then reverses, he jumps backward, and then starts shooting as the car drives forward and through the yard. He then makes a call for “shots fired.” Manzella told investigators in a statement he heard gunshots and thought they were coming from the car toward him or Vegovisch, so he returned fire. Vegovisch fired four times, Manzella 11, according to the records. Manzella’s video shows him getting into his patrol vehicle and following the Honda, which came to rest blocks away. Other officers surrounded the vehicle with their weapons drawn. The passenger gets out of the car and is arrested. Jones is pulled from the driver’s seat and officers begin doing CPR. Jones was transported to SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital in Lake Saint Louis, where he died. Jones was shot at least twice — once through the back and once in the back of the head. The bullet that went through Jones’ back, which was fatal, was fired by Vegovisch; the round found in his head was fired by Manzella. Police later determined the Honda had been reported stolen weeks earlier from Kirkwood.
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** (Disclaimer: This video content is intended for educational and informational purposes only) **
Damn he got sniped on the back of his head. Nice shot Officers
How is the law in the us: if a suspect runs away, are you allowed to shoot him/her? Or only to defend yourself and others?
Cop: Driver ! Show me your hands!
Passenger: He long gone bro, he’s done
Gteat
Great Job Officers‼ï¸Another POS off the streets 👠ðŸ‘
LoL
A community service homicide.
3:53 good shot
He be dead
Holy shit dump a whole clip my dude at what for? didn’t see a gun did you.. fuck call pursuit and chase. Holy fuck these cops have zero regards to life… not only for the suspect but for who ever was in the back drop..
oh no, he died? Such a shame to save those precious tax dollars.
No loss here, saved the hard working taxpayers some money in the long run.
Wont be stealing anymore
The only thing sweeter than the death of criminals is the savings for the tax payers.
ftp
fafo
wrong choice of firing by cops both should be jailed no doubt it.
normalize shooting thieves
Ahhhh dieversity …
Lol another one bites the dust.
Let’s us pray ðŸ™ðŸ¾ the distraught young child wasn’t hurt in any way and gets the love and support needed to change his life around.
Okay prayer team let’s do double prayers on this one. ðŸ™ðŸ¾ ðŸ™ðŸ¾
In God the Lord Jesus we pray will fix this (after his golf game up in heaven of course and a few beers)
"Hey, we got your car back"! xP
Good job cleaning up the streets! 😚
Good work, guys.
I bet they wouldnt have shot even once if the thief were one of the cops relatives! Ponder that for a moment. Because they are psychopaths, and prejudiced they can justify murdering the kid.
How do you obtain these videos?
America or shall I say a certain set loves them some criminals.
Nice execution officer dirty Harry.
Glad he didn't make it
So a cop being damaged is a reason to kill someone? Ok cool … ftp btw they can smwd
Good riddance
Too many houses around for the second officer to be shooting like even when he's driving away
He threw his life away at 17 for this, it’s really not worth it man, saddening
Damn they slumped that boy
Based cop cleaning house. America doesn't have a gun problem it has a _____ problem. "Pull the trigger on every ______!
I bet they dont shoot even once if the thief were one of the cops relatives! Ponder that for a moment.
Passenger gets out of vehicle with pants hanging off his ass, big surprise. And the driver in a stolen car, with a gun and rams a police car. Oh but CNN and msdnc will talk about what a good boy he was and never hurt anyone.