Police officers shoot, kill man who was armed with an airsoft gun — and he reportedly made statements about 'suicide by cop'

Authorities in Nevada County, Nevada, fatally shot a man who was armed with an airsoft gun on Jan. 1, according to KCRA-TV.

What are the details?

On Thursday, Nevada County investigators released 10 minutes of the video footage of the incident in Grass Valley, Nevada.

In the video, 25-year-old Gabriel Strickland was walking around the area with a shotgun slung over his shoulder. Authorities arrived at the scene and approached Strickland, who refused to drop the gun on several occasions. The suspect pointed the weapon in a variety of directions as the officers warned him to drop the gun.

Strickland apparently refused the orders, and the officers were forced to fire on the suspect. He was taken to the hospital for his injuries, but later died, according to officials.

Officers determined afterward that Strickland's weapon was, "in fact, an airsoft weapon that mimicked the appearance of a shotgun."

According to KCRA, the 10-minute video segment "represents only a portion of hours of raw video footage."

"The intent of this video is not to draw conclusions about the actions of the officers or the deputies, as this incident is still under investigation," authorities said.

The Nevada County District Attorney's Office is continuing to review the case to determine if officers were justified in using deadly force.

(Content warning: Graphic footage):

www.youtube.com

What else?

Earlier this month, KCRA reported that officers also attempted to use a taser during the encounter but were unsuccessful.

"The suspect was given multiple verbal orders to drop the weapon — a taser was deployed but was ineffective," the sheriff's office said in a statement at the time. "Officers on scene fired their duty weapons striking the subject."

Further, Strickland — who was known to officers — reportedly previously made comments about "suicide by cop."

"In previous contacts, the suspect had made statements regarding 'suicide by cop,'" the sheriff's office said in their statement. "In a previous contact, one firearm was taken for safekeeping."