Newly released body camera footage is raising serious questions about the fatal police shooting of a 17-year-old in St. Louis nearly two years ago, challenging initial accounts from authorities and intensifying calls for accountability.
The video shows Emeshyon Wilkins running from an officer during a brief foot pursuit in June 2024 before he is shot from behind. Authorities initially said the teen had turned and pointed a gun, but the footage appears to show he had nothing in his hands at the time he was shot.
KSDK obtained the officer’s deposition interview about the shooting, which shows the officer involved invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self incrimination more than 100 times. The officer involved remains on the force, assigned to desk duty, according to attorneys for the family.
“Our community is once again being asked to accept the unacceptable. A 17-year-old is dead, and the officer responsible has chosen silence,” said Kayla Reed, executive director, Action St. Louis, an activist organization formed following the 2014 killing of Mike Brown, Jr. “That is not justice. That is obstruction. Our families deserve answers, transparency and a system that values Black life enough to tell the truth.”
The shooting followed a police pursuit of a stolen vehicle that began in North St. Louis and ended in the Ville neighborhood, according to multiple reports. Wilkins and another teen fled the vehicle on foot while officers gave chase. Within seconds, an officer opened fire.
Attorneys for Wilkins’ family say the video contradicts the narrative provided in the immediate aftermath.
“Video shows there was no weapon,” family attorney Albert Watkins told KSDK. “The young man was not turning around, was not aiming a gun.”
Police have since acknowledged that early information shared publicly was inaccurate and based on witness accounts that did not match what investigators later found.
“The entire police department was complicit in a cover up that has left a family without their loved one and without answers,” Reed said.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department said the information initially provided to the public “was not consistent with the actual events” and noted that policies have since been updated to ensure body camera footage is reviewed more quickly before details are released.
The footage also shows officers approaching Wilkins after the shooting and handcuffing him as he lay motionless on the ground.
Investigators later said Wilkins had parts of a firearm in his pocket, but attorneys for the family say the weapon was disassembled and not capable of being fired.
An independent analysis cited in reporting by St. Louis Magazine concluded that the shooting may have violated department policies, including standards for use of force and pursuit guidelines. The report also questioned whether officers properly identified themselves or issued clear warnings before firing.
Zaki Baruti, president of the community advocacy group the Universal African People’s Organization, said justice must prevail in Wilkins’ death.
“Again, the discrepancies that’s come forth from the release of the video speaks volumes to the usual intent of covering up police violence toward our people,” Baruti said. “The officers should be fired because of their false reporting of the incident and charged accordingly.”
The family filed a federal lawsuit alleging excessive force and a broader failure by the department to follow established procedures. The suit also claims there was a delay and lack of transparency in informing the family about what happened.
Wilkins’ mother, Shaina Wilkins, said the release of the video has been painful but necessary.
“I’m just slowly getting answers,” she told KSDK. “I’m still learning new stuff that happened to my son that day.”
The case remains under review by the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office, which said it does not comment on open investigations but is responsible for determining whether criminal charges are warranted.
For the family, the wait for answers has been difficult.
“He should be wearing a cap and gown this week,” Watkins said, referring to what would have been Wilkins’ high school graduation.
Sylvester Brown Jr. is the Deaconess Foundation Community Advocacy Fellow.