Bodycam footage released from deadly police-involved shooting in Brownsville nail salon

Police released bodycam footage that shows the moments leading up to a deadly police-involved shooting in a Brownsville nail salon back in October.

News 12 Staff

Jan 31, 2020, 10:30 PM

Updated 1,790 days ago

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Police released bodycam footage that shows the moments leading up to a deadly police-involved shooting in a Brownsville nail salon back in October.
Police say two officers were in the process of arresting Dewayne Hawkes, when Kwesi Ashun stormed in and started attacking one of those officers on Oct. 25.
They say Hawkes reportedly urinated in the middle of the nail salon and can be heard speaking down to salon employees before struggling with the officers as they tried to cuff him.
Ashun punched Officer Lesly Lafontant in the face and attacked him with a metal chair, according to police. They say the other officer discharged his stun gun, but that it didn't stop Ashun.
The bodycam video doesn't give a clear view of the altercation, but it does show the chaos that unfolded after. The sound of gunshots and screams can be heard moments after the bodycam falls face-down onto the ground.
Police say six shots were fired by Lafontant and that four of them hit Ashun. He was pronounced dead by medical personnel who were called to the scene after the shooting.
Police say Lafontant suffered facial fractures and had to be placed in a medically induced coma before being released from the hospital three days later.
Ashun's family says he suffered from mental illness, and they have demanded a full investigation into the shooting. News 12 reached out to the family and has not heard back yet.