Muriel Bowser

Family of Man Shot by DC Officer to Speak About His Death

The family of a man who was fatally shot by a District of Columbia police officer are planning to meet with reporters following the release of new information about his death.

Terrence Sterling, 31, was shot and killed in the early-morning hours of Sept. 11 at a downtown Washington intersection. Sterling's relatives and their attorneys will speak at a news conference Thursday.

Police say Sterling intentionally rammed the passenger-side door of a police car while trying to flee a traffic stop. But witnesses have disputed the police department's account of the incident and said the crash was unavoidable.

Police say the officer who shot Sterling did not turn on his body-worn camera until after the shooting. Police have also released video of the aftermath of the shooting. The graphic video shows the man bleeding as an officer performs CPR.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said 911 dispatchers now will remind officers to turn on their body cameras before they arrive at scenes.

The District's chief medical examiner revealed Wednesday that Sterling died of gunshot wounds to the neck and back, and called Sterling's death a homicide. That manner of death rules out that Sterling died because of suicide, an accident or natural causes.

Information was not available immediately on whether Sterling was shot more than once or if a single bullet caused his injuries.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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