Police footage of Anthony Ware death doesn’t show woodland chase
Raw video fails to shed light on pepper spray incident that may have caused death.
Warning: Video contains explicit language and an unconscious body.
Newly released footage of the death of Anthony Ware is being criticised for not showing the circumstances around his arrest. Anthony Ware died after police chased him into the woods and used pepper spray on him.
Captured from police body cameras, the footage does not show Ware’s actual arrest or the use of pepper spray. According to reports, not all of the six police officers participating in the arrest were wearing body cameras. Tuscaloosa County Police Chief Steven Anderson said the lack of body cameras was due to budget issues.
Officers can be seen lifting Ware from the ground onto a stretcher, and performing chest compressions. The video ends with people confronting the police as they carry Ware’s body. A man shouts at the police, while recording them with his phone “You all did that!” The video is more than two hours long and includes reportedly unedited audio and video except to protect the identity of the caller who alerted the police about Ware allegedly carrying a gun.
YouTube commenters are debating the circumstances of the arrest and the information released. Some criticised the police for not having footage of the actual arrest. Others praised the police, saying they did their best to revive him. The police and Ware’s family set up a crowdfunding campaign to cover funeral costs.
Watch our recent coverage of the incident: