MESQUITE, Texas — Mesquite police haven’t released all the details of what happened before police fatally shot Ashton Pinke on Tuesday morning.
But a video of the shooting given to WFAA gives a glimpse of what happened in the moments leading up to the shooting.
Pinke, 27, was shot Tuesday after officers responded to an apparent domestic violence situation after 911 hang-up call.
When officers arrived to the Audubon Park Apartments on the 5800 block of Northwest Driveomplex, police said a victim told officers that a man was armed with a knife, according to a release from Mesquite police.
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The video was provided by Ty Hardaway, a friend of Pinke’s family, and was shot by Pinke's girlfriend, who called police. She gave WFAA permission to use the footage.
In the video, you can see the officers confront Pinke and hear them shout, "Don't do it. Don't do it."
At one point, Pinke appears on screen.
“When he came out they were still saying, 'don't do it' and seconds after they say, 'Don't do it,' it looks like he has something in his hand and you hear four shots,” said Hardaway.
In the video, it's not clear if Pinke has anything in his hand. Mesquite police say he had a knife and a club and charged at officers who fired their weapons.
Pinke’s family said he did not have a club, but a walking stick he used daily.
We don’t know exactly what happened before the camera started rolling.
The officers who fired did have tasers, according to Mesquite police. However, in a situation when a suspect has a knife and is close to police, officers are trained to use deadly force, according to Sheldon Smith, president of the National Black Police Officers Association.
“With deadly weapons the only thing you do is pull your service weapon. A taser is not guaranteed to stop a person if they have a knife in their hand,” said Smith.
Mesquite police said officers had responded to this apartment previously for domestic violence calls, so when they arrived they were on heightened alert.
“Domestic violence calls are the most dangerous call a police officer can respond to, because you never know what is going to happen,” says Smith.
Pinke's family said he was suffering a mental health episode, but it's unclear if officers knew he had a history of mental illness.
“I say this was a tragedy not just for the family but for the community and individuals involved,” said Hardaway.
Mesquite police have promised to release all their video and a timeline of what happened by Friday.
Justin Moore, who is the attorney for Pinke's father, said the family will make a statement when police release that material, and said the family was devastated by Pinke’s death.