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Phoenix police have just released dramatic video of a officer-involved shooting with ex-NFL player Ekom Udofia. In the footage, cops repeatedly pleaded with the former defensive end for the Cincinnati Bengals and the New Orleans Saints to drop his weapon (which turned out to be a BB gun) as he allegedly approached them before they opened fire.

First responders transported Udofia, 33, to a local hospital in critical condition where he was later tragically pronounced dead.

The November 20 early morning fatal shooting incident is currently subject to both an internal affairs and a criminal investigation by the Maricopa County, Ariz., Attorney’s Office.

The intense footage, which appears to be derived from body cams, narrated by Sg. Mercedes Fortune of the Phoenix Police Department public affairs bureau, starts off with a 911 call in which the caller tells the dispatcher that a man is allegedly “dancing in the street” and trying to jump on cars so that he gets hit. The caller added that he thought the man might be on drugs.

According to Fox10 Phoenix, “He was also armed and pointing a gun at passing vehicles.”

As alluded to above, Udofia allegedly ignored repeated commands by responding officers, who called for backup, to drop the gun. “Please do not make me shoot you,” one of the cops says in the video before ultimately discharging his weapon.

Watch the confrontation in the video embedded and assess the actions of the parties for yourself to the extent that is possible:

After being shot and falling to the ground, Udofia allegedly refused to comply with officer commands to toss away the gun. Officers used a stun bag and baton rounds to separate him from the gun.

According to Sgt. Fortune, the subject at that juncture again pointed the gun at officers, who open fire again. They also deployed pepper balls and used a K9 to take the subject into custody.

“Conclusions about whether the actions of the officers are consistent with department policy and the law will not be made until all the facts are known and the investigation is complete,” the sergeant concluded.

Four officers were involved in the shooting incident, and none of them were injured. Udofia was allegedly shot about 10 times.

According to the Arizona Republic, the ex-professional football player “struggled with his mental health” and had prior arrests for disorderly conduct and indecent exposure.

“However, records from earlier in November show that he was successfully completing his probation requirements, including finding employment and complying with the Maricopa County Mental Health Court,” the news outlet added. Ekom Udofia was a high school sports star in nearby Scottsdale, Ariz., before attending Stanford University and playing football there.

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Robert Jonathan

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Robert Jonathan is a staff writer for BizPac Review. He is a longtime writer/editor for news aggregation websites and has also developed content in the legal and financial publishing sectors as well as for online education. He earned a Juris Doctorate from the University of Connecticut School of Law, “a law school the basketball teams can be proud of.”

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