Fort Wayne police Wednesday released body camera video footage that shows the officer-involved shooting of a man on a local university campus and said the death was a “possible suicide-by-cop scenario.”
Gawon Kaerey Benson, 31, died of multiple gunshot wounds, and the Allen County coroner’s office ruled it as a homicide-police action. Benson was wearing a GPS ankle monitor issued by DeKalb County Community Corrections.
The Journal Gazette typically does not publish information about people suspected of dying by suicide. The Journal Gazette has chosen to publish this information because of the nature of the case.
The video released Wednesday starts with a 911 call. The caller, who appeared to work for community corrections, said Benson’s ex-girlfriend reported that he had gone to her house and taken some things, including a Glock 9 mm.
The caller said Benson was near 2600 Abbey Drive, just north of the university’s main campus, and was heading onto PFW property. Police say Benson was near PFW’s Parking Lot 10, which is near the Ron Venderly Family Pedestrian Bridge that crosses the St. Joseph River.
The video then shows the perspective of an officer who approached Benson from behind.
The video shows officers repeatedly telling Benson to put down the gun and to raise his hands. One officer warns Benson that he would be shocked with a Taser or bit by a police dog if he didn’t put his hands up.
“He was not responding to officers’ verbal commands. Gawon then pulled a handgun from his right pocket and the following events occurred,” the video’s narrator said.
The edited video is slowed a couple times during which what appears to be a gun is shown and circled in red as Benson walks away from officers.
Another officer’s perspective from the left of Benson is showed next.
“The officer sees Gawon manipulate the slide of his handgun, and the officer discharges his weapon,” the video said.
The video says it is important to note that body camera lenses are fixed and do not “capture everything seen or heard by the officer.”
The video also shows a suicide note that police say was found in Benson’s pocket. The video zooms in on and highlights parts of the handwritten letter that confirm investigators’ suspicion that Benson wanted to die in a shooting by police.
Internal and criminal investigations are ongoing, and the Allen County prosecutor’s office will review the case.
“Conclusions about whether the actions of the officer is consistent with department policy and law will not be made until all the facts are known and the investigation is complete,” the video says.
The video release by police comes a day after a former local civil rights activist and pastor held a press conference with Benson’s relatives, including his mother, standing by. Rev. Carlton Lynch said he and the family were allowed to view three videos and, based on what they saw, Benson’s death was a “killing” and an “assassination.” Lynch said the videos the family viewed Tuesday showed Benson had his back turned and was walking away from police – even though he was not complying with their verbal orders.
Fort Wayne police said in a news release that PFW officers assisted in the incident. Those officers, however, do not have body cameras, Sgt. Jeremy Webb, spokesman, said in a statement.
Officers and medics gave Benson medical care “until the suspect succumbed to his injuries,” the release said.
Three weeks before he was killed, Benson was ordered to spend 80 days in the DeKalb County Jail after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, endangering a person. As an alternative to incarceration in the DeKalb County Jail or in the Indiana Department of Correction, he was placed in the DeKalb County Community Corrections program.
Officer Jason T. Fuhrman, the officer who shot Benson, is a nearly 20-year veteran with the police department.
A week and a half after the shooting, the police department released Fuhrman’s records, which include three suspensions for vehicle accidents and several commendations.
One day after Benson died, Fort Wayne Officer Jeremy Hoover shot and critically injured a man in the 2000 block of Chartwell Drive. Police said the man rapidly fired a gun while an officer was helping an uninvolved motorist who was stranded.
Benson’s shooting is one of a few recent incidents that have spurred calls for transparency. The police department doesn’t generally release officer-worn body camera footage until investigations are closed, but this isn’t the first time it has strayed from that policy recently.
Linzell Parhm, 22, died after he was shot by Officer Mason Wills on June 22. He was a passenger in a vehicle stopped for an undisclosed traffic violation.
Three days later, Fort Wayne police released video from the officer’s body cam. Mayor Sharon Tucker said the video was promptly released because of a bystander’s video that was widely shared on social media, which made the situation unprecedented.
“Each situation that we encounter in the future will be handled on a case-by-case basis and may not involve the immediate release of body camera footage,” Tucker said June 25.
Nearly two weeks ago, Tucker said the video from the July 30 and July 31 shootings would be released once they were reviewed. Video from the Chartwell Drive shooting has not been released.
