Body camera footage released in Greensboro fatal officer-involved shooting

Body camera footage has been released in the case of Joseph Lopez, a 29-year-old man who was shot and killed by a Greensboro police officer who had been attempting to arrest him. The officer was indicted on manslaughter charges and subsequently fired on Monday.

The video from last November shows Officer Matt Hamilton in a Greensboro backyard, attempting to get Lopez to leave the shed he was in. Hamilton, who was accompanied by a canine, was trying to serve Lopez with an arrest warrant related to assault and weapons charges. 

“Come out or I'm gonna let my dog bite you," Hamilton said. 

Lopez did not come out. Hamilton and the dog then approached the building. The dog entered first. The officer followed him in. Just seconds later, Hamilton fired a single shot into the dark shed. It hit Lopez. 

"Oh sh---," Hamilton said immediately after firing. "I saw something in his hand.”

Lopez was later pronounced dead at the scene. He had been unarmed, according to legal filings. Hamilton was indicted on manslaughter charges on Monday. Lopez's family has also brought a wrongful death lawsuit against the officer and the City of Greensboro. 

Hamilton's attorney advocated for the body camera footage's release, saying his client followed his police training.

Nearly four hours of footage was released on Wednesday night.