The Illinois State Police has released two body camera videos of an officer-involved shooting on Thanksgiving Day in Litchfield that resulted in the death of a 41-year-old man.
The dramatic videos show the man leading officers on a foot chase that lasts more than 7 minutes through parking lots and along major streets as they yell "stop" and "put the gun down." At one point, he attempts to hijack a person's truck with a handgun.
Litchfield Police Department, Montgomery County Sheriff's Office and ISP officers eventually surround the man and tase him before he raises his gun again, according to video captions. Then he is shot.
Officers from the three agencies responded to a report of a suspicious person at the McDonald's restaurant in Litchfield on Nov. 24, according to an ISP news release on Thursday.
"When officers arrived, the individual fled and attempted to hijack a vehicle using a weapon," it stated. "The subject, identified as 41-year-old Shane M. Boston, displayed a firearm and two Litchfield police officers, a Montgomery County Sheriff's deputy, and an ISP trooper discharged their firearms.
"Boston was struck and disarmed, and then transported to the hospital where he was pronounced deceased later that day. No officers were struck or injured during the incident."
The shooting took place shortly after 10 a.m. in the parking lot of Taylorville Community Credit Union on West Union Avenue, according to an initial ISP news release on Nov. 24.
Boston was taken to St. Francis Hospital in Litchfield, where he died, The State Journal-Register in Springfield reported. Illinois State Police didn't state how many shots were fired or whether Boston discharged his weapon.
Special agents of the ISP Division of Internal Investigation are investigating.
The video from one body camera is 5 minutes and 21 seconds. Video from the other one is 7 minutes and 23 seconds. Both cameras were being worn by Litchfield police officers, according to captions.
Boston is wearing a yellow, gray and black jacket and dark pants.
"Come on, man, let me talk to you for a minute," one police officer repeatedly begs Boston. He yells back, mentioning "family" and "military" and at one point saying "I don't want to shoot you."
Online court records show that Boston lived in Eagarville, a village in Macoupin County, as of early November, when he was charged with felony obstruction of justice/destruction of evidence.
The Illinois State Police made the two videos available for public viewing because of its "commitment to integrity and public transparency," the news release stated, adding that the agency consulted with the Montgomery County state's attorney's office. Litchfield is in Montgomery County. The initial frames of both videos state "contains graphic images and language."
