Officer Shoots Man Firing Rifle into Air on New Year’s Eve – Body Cam Footage Released

According to reports, a 46-year-old man in Canton, Ohio was shot and killed by police after an incident that occurred on New Years Eve. Body cam footage from the Canton Police officer involved shows the subject apparently firing a rifle in his backyard followed by the officer shooting at him through a fence without warning.

Reports say a man in Canton, Ohio was shot in the chest by a police officer just after the turn of the New Year. Body cam footage released by the Canton Police department show how the events transpired.

According to the report, the officer involved was approaching the home where a rifle was apparently being fired from the backyard. As the officer walks around to the side of the home, more shots are fired into the air from behind the fence.

After multiple shots are fired by the man in the backyard, reports say that the officer fired rounds through the fence towards the man. After shooting, the officer proceeded to yell out, "Police, get down now!" towards the subject.

The body cam footage shows another officer on the scene of the incident addressing a woman and children who gathered onto the front porch while the officers proceeded inside of the home, per the report.

In the living room of the home, officers reportedly found 46-year-old James Williams of Canton on the family's living room floor suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest.

Word from Canton Chief of Police Jack Angelo reportedly states that the officer involved was outside of his police unit when he confronted someone that was firing a weapon. Angelo said that the officer feared for his life, per the report.

The incident is being investigated by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the officer involved has been placed on administrative leave. That officer has not been identified, per reports.

The report goes on to say that the wife of the subject told a news outlet that her husband was shooting an AR-15 into the air to celebrate the New Year, as was a tradition in the neighborhood. He reportedly was the father of four daughter and also had two other step children.

*** Warning - graphic footage ***

Check out video from the body cam of the Ohio police officer involved in the incident via @trtworld on Twitter below.

See the full report from WDSU News on Facebook below.