The Arlington Police Department has released body camera footage and audio from a 911 call linked to a fatal officer-involved shooting on April 25, which saw 31-year-old Michael Bassey shot dead after he claimed to have committed a stabbing. The controversial footage, now available in the City of Arlington, Texas, was published amidst ongoing investigations into the incident.

Police responded to a call at an apartment complex on Lawrence Road to find Bassey, who was claimed by himself as having killed someone, peering out a window. He emerged brandishing a knife and a beer, ignoring multiple officers' orders to disarm. After advancing on officers and being shot once, Bassey fled towards a wooded area. Despite being shot, Bassey turned again, threatening officers with the knife before being felled by a second bullet and subsequently tasered.

In the aftermath, no stabbing victim was discovered in Bassey's apartment, nor were such injuries reported by local hospitals, casting doubt upon the initial claims made in the 911 call. The Arlington Police Department is now conducting two separate investigations—a criminal one led by their Homicide Unit and an administrative one by their Internal Affairs Unit—to scrutinize the actions taken during the incident, as stated in a press release from the department.

The officer directly involved in the shooting has been placed on paid administrative leave as a standard protocol. While the other officers, who deployed tasers and less-lethal rounds that did not reach Bassey, have since resumed their regular police duties. These developments come at a time when police conduct, particularly regarding the use of force, remains a contentious topic in communities across the nation.