Knoxville police release video of armed man killed by officer at Fountain City gas station
Knoxville Police Department body camera video from the April 17 police shooting of William Charles McBride Jr. shows the man, armed with two knives, lunging once at a bystander and once at a police officer who shot him outside a Fountain City gas station.
McBride, 41, died from his gunshot wounds hours later at a hospital where he was taken for treatment.
The video from officer Seth Beeler's bodycam released by the department May 1 includes a slow motion segment of the encounter.
What the video shows
Just before 5:30 p.m., Beeler arrived alone at the gas station after someone called to report a man was acting erratically and potentially violently inside the store. The video begins and immediately shows a man speaking with Beeler, letting him know McBride had a knife and was inside the gas station with customers.
Beeler draws his gun and approaches the door and tells McBride to "come out right now."
McBride lunges out the door toward the bystander before running in Beeler's direction. He is armed with two knives that appear to be medium-sized pocket knives. Beeler fires two shots and McBride slumps to the ground next to a parked vehicle, where he lies on his stomach, gasping for breath.
The encounter lasts less than a minute.
Beeler, as the only officer on the scene, waits for backup before approaching McBride. When he does, Beeler tells other officers McBride "tried to stab that guy."
Chief Paul Noel declined to comment, per a spokesperson, citing the ongoing investigation.
Beeler graduated from the KPD recruit academy in 2022, according to a news release. He has been placed on paid leave, which is standard after a police shooting. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is handling the review of what happened.
Tyler Whetstone is an investigative reporter focused on accountability journalism. Connect with Tyler by emailing him at tyler.whetstone@knoxnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tyler_whetstone.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: KPD releases video of police shooting at Fountain City gas station
