Body cam video shows what led up to officers shooting, killing Christopher Craven is Mooresville
By: Newly-released body camera video reveals the moments before Mooresville police officers shot and killed a man outside his home.
It happened around 9:30 p.m. on Aug. 2, 2020 during a domestic assault call to a home on Heritage Place, just off South Magnolia Street.
38-year-old Christopher Kimmons Craven died in the incident. Afterward, Craven’s widow filed a wrongful death lawsuit in the case. That lawsuit was dismissed by a judge, which allowed for the release of one of the officer’s body camera video.
In the footage, you can hear the two officers assessing the scene.
“The male subject is still outside at the time. Does anybody have a gun?” and later, “Mother and son both confirming he does have a gun on him.”
When officers arrived at the home, they found 38-year-old Christopher Kimmons Craven on the porch. He was reportedly suicidal and had a gun. They asked him to show his hands but said he didn’t listen and reached for his gun instead.
“Let me see your hands, get on the [expletive] ground,” an officer yells.
Multiple shots were fired, killing Craven in his front yard. His family was inside.
The district attorney in Randolph County investigated and cleared the two officers involved.
In the lawsuit she filed against the two officers, Amy Craven accused them of negligence, assault and battery, and wrongful death. She told Channel 9 her husband was having a mental health crisis and officers did not attempt to deescalate the situation.
Last month, the U.S. district judge denied and dismissed her lawsuit. As part of the dismissal, the Town of Mooresville was required to release a portion of the officer’s body camera footage.
“It looks like something was in his hand and he was making a gesture, and I could see the firearm in his hand,” you can hear in the video.
Amy Craven is appealing the dismissal of her lawsuit and has hired Howard Jordan, a former law enforcement officer, to review the footage and write his own report. That report states, “officers should have used a more measured approach … Chris did not discharge his firearm at any point, nor did he threaten to harm officers.”