Police release footage of Cottonwood officer fatally shooting man after a violent altercation

Cottonwood police made public segments of bodycam footage showing one of its officers fatally shooting a man following a violent altercation April 12th.

The incident is currently under investigation by the Arizona Department of Public Safety Major Incident Division. The Cottonwood Police Department announced its findings in a video that included dash camera footage and body-worn camera footage.

At about 7:50 p.m. on April 12, an officer from the Cottonwood Police Department conducted a traffic stop in the 500 block of South 12th Street in Cottonwood for a vehicle driving with no headlights and following another car too closely.

During the traffic stop, dashcam and bodycam footage revealed the driver, identified as 32-year-old Cottonwood resident Donovan Jelicich, exited his vehicle, despite being ordered to stay inside the vehicle by the officer.

After a brief conversation, in which he can be heard in the footage shouting expletives while trying to locate his registration and insurance information, Jelicich can be seen attacking the officer without warning.

Jelicich and the officer begin wrestling, with footage showing one of Jelicich's arms wrapped around the officer's neck. During the struggle, Jelicich attempts to take the officer's firearm and the magazine comes out of the weapon.

Bodycam and dashcam footage then show Jelicich and the officer falling into a nearby embankment during the conflict, with the officer requesting backup while attempting to deploy his Taser in order to subdue Jelicich. The Taser was shown to be ineffective as Jelicich remained aggressive and rushed at the officer. The officer can be seen deploying his Taser once more in the footage, but it was once again ineffective.

During the second attack, footage showed Jelicich grabbing a large rock and striking the officer in the side of the head, causing the officer to fall on his back. The officer then discharges a single shot from his firearm to stop the attack.

When additional officers arrived on the scene, they immediately began rendering aid to Jelicich before the arrival of the Cottonwood Fire Department and paramedics. Jelicich was then helicoptered to a hospital for further medical treatment, where he died several days later from the gunshot wound, according to authorities.

The officer sustained multiple injuries to his head and eye during the altercation and required hospital treatment along with follow-up care as a result of his injuries.