After surveillance shows officer hitting motorcyclist, Littleton PD release video of fatal shooting

Police in Littleton released a video Monday that included bodycam and security camera footage showing an officer shoot and kill a suspect earlier this month.

A Littleton police officer shot and killed 41-year-old Stephen Charles Poolson, Jr. on Feb. 2 after police said Poolson pulled out a gun during a foot chase in the 5600 block of Bannock Street near Littleton High School.

The incident began as the officer attempted to approach Poolson who they described as acting suspiciously on a motorcycle.

Video released Monday shows Poolson on the motorcycle and the officer in his vehicle parked side-by-side on Bannock Street. The 41-year-old suspect then attempts to take off, but is stopped when the officer’s vehicle rams the motorcycle, forcing Poolson off the bike.

The video continues, showing Poolson taking off on foot and through the courtyard of an apartment complex. The officer gives chase, following the suspect to the courtyard where the video shows Poolson trying to climb a metal fence but appears to stop and turn toward the officer.

The words, “Get back! Don’t Shoot!” Can be heard as the officer fires multiple rounds at Poolson. It’s unclear from the video who said those words.

The next clip shows Poolson on the ground as the officer involved in the shooting tells an arriving officer to not touch the gun that is allegedly laying next to the suspect. The clip then shows the officer render first aid to the suspect, who is later transported to the hospital, where he is pronounced deceased.

The Littleton Police Department backtracked a previous statement in the shooting after surveillance video showed a contradicting set of events than those originally claimed by investigators the day of the shooting.

Police originally claimed that the officer tried to contact Poolson on his motorcycle when he reportedly crashed before he took off running from the scene. However, the video shows the suspect did not crash his motorcycle but was rammed by police as he tried to leave the scene.

In a statement Wednesday night, a spokeswoman for the department said the information initially released on Feb. 2 was “preliminary… and was the most accurate information that LPD had at the time.”

“It is always our goal to find the most accurate information possible, and sometimes that information takes time,” said spokeswoman Sheera Poelman.