Delaware DOJ releases video showing fatal police shooting of Kadir Skinner
Jul 16, 2026 | 1:33 pm ET
Description
Photo courtesy of Spotlight Delaware
Why Should Delaware Care?
A recent police shooting of a 19-year-old has quickly become of of Wilmington’s highest profile police use of force cases in recent years. A Delaware Department of Justice investigation into the incident is expected to be closely watched as residents look for answers and justice. Newly released police body camera footage show how the encounter unfolded.
Three weeks after the police shooting of Kadir Skinner, the Delaware Department of Justice released footage Thursday from the body camera of the officer who shot the 19-year-old in northeast Wilmington, as well as video from two other responding officers.
The video begins without sound with the officer driving in his cruiser. He then comes to a stop, exits and begins to run. At that moment, Skinner is seen running. A few short frames from the video also show a dog running behind Skinner.
A short foot chase ensues. About four seconds after leaving the cruiser, the pursuing officer is seen holding his gun, though the quality of the video is poor. About three seconds after that, sound from the video begins with the officer firing his weapon four times.
He then yells “drop it” and “drop that gun.”
The officer then approaches Skinner, who has collapsed onto his knees and says, “I don’t got nothing.” The shooting officer then tells another officer, “he threw something,” and “find the gun and get it,” while proceeding to handcuff the wounded Skinner on the pavement.
Over the next 30 seconds, a crowd begins to form in the area. Skinner says several times “I can’t breathe.”
About a minute after the shooting, the officer asks Skinner, “are you hit?” Skinner says, “I don’t know.”
Immediately after the shooting, video from another responding officer shows her walking down the sidewalk where the chase had taken place. She stops at a spot, and reaches down. The footage does not show what she reaches toward.
She then returns to the immediate scene when sound from her body camera turns on. The officer yells toward the bystanders to “back up now.” The shooting officer then tells her to “secure the gun.” She answers, “I have it.”
The third video is from the officer who was in the passenger seat of the shooting officer’s police cruiser. Shortly after it begins, it shows that officer drawing his gun while still in the car and pointing it out the window. The officer then climbs out of the car where he catches up to the first officer with his knee on Skinner’s back.
The video then shows him walking to the spot where the female officer had later stopped and reached down. A black object is seen in the footage.
In all, the videos depict a chaotic 28 seconds between the moment the shooting officer leaves his vehicle to when he begins handcuffing Skinner on the ground. About three-and-a-half minutes pass after Skinner was shot before officers place him into a cruiser and take him to Wilmington Hospital.
During that span, the videos also show Skinners’ distraught father at the scene watching his wounded son on the ground in handcuffs. He tells officers, “you shot my fucking son.”
Police have previously said Skinner died at the hospital.
This story will be updated.
The Delaware Department of Justice posted the three body camera videos onto Youtube. Each are distressing and Spotlight Delaware advises viewer discretion.
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