Body Cam Footage Shows Final Moments Before Officer Shot Teen on Bridge

Shocking body-cam footage has surfaced showing the exact moment an officer shot a teenager in upstate New York. The event happened after police got a call regarding a person threatening suicide on a bridge in Wappingers Falls, according to the New York State Attorney General's Office. When deputies showed up, 17-year-old Oscar Granados Colindres was standing on the ledge of an overpass while holding a knife.

The released video captures the final five minutes of the conversation between Colindres and one officer in Spanish. At least five policemen stood in the middle of the road across from the boy, with another group positioned further down the street. One officer remained just a few feet away from the teen. The footage shows him sitting on the bridge as the cop asked about his family and sisters before urging him to rethink his decision.

Towards the end of this fifty-minute interaction, the officer told Colindres to close the knife he was gripping. In Spanish, the deputy said, Look, they won't move unless I tell them they can move, while gesturing toward the other officers waiting nearby. Shortly after that exchange, the boy jumped off the bridge and ran straight at the officer he had been talking to.

Police then opened fire on the youth. The video clearly shows Colindres being struck and falling to the ground. At least ten gunshots are audible in the recording. Audio from the body-cam of a deputy further away was redacted, but the footage confirmed they fired from their position down the road alongside the rest of the police force.

Attorneys Vince Sykes, Randolph McLaughlin, and Debra S. Cohen, who represent Colindres' family, issued a statement Thursday morning. They argued that releasing the video is an important step toward transparency but does not answer the family's central question: Why did an encounter intended to save Oscar's life end with officers shooting him to death? The attorneys noted via the Times Union that Oscar's mother believes her son would still be alive had trained crisis intervention professionals responded instead of police.

Colindres attended Roy C. Ketcham High School in Wappingers Falls, where he lived with his family. His obituary lists Myers Corners and Sheafe Road Elementary Schools as previous schools he went to. He loved playing soccer and had a great interest in classic cars and automotive hobbies. His dreams included becoming a professional soccer player, joining the U.S. Military, and traveling throughout the world to visit other countries. He also attended Harvest Church in Wappingers Falls. The boy's family has set up a GoFundMe fundraiser for memorial donations.