The Jonesboro, Arkansas police department has released a video recreation of what it believes could have happened the night 21-year-old Chavis Carter was killed. The opinion of the police is that Carter shot himself not long after being pulled over and detained on July 29, moments after two police searches uncovered a small amount of marijuana but no weapon. Placed in the rear of a squad car, Carter was found slumped over as the result of an apparent shot to the head. Police say a small handgun and a spent cartridge were found in the backseat with Carter. The death has roiled nerves within the Jonesboro community and has drawn national media scrutiny. The FBI has also joined the investigation into Carter's death.
The opening screen of the video reenactment came with a message from the Jonesboro Police Department. "This video is a non-evidentiary reproduction of facts and circumstances associated with the pending investigation of the Chavis Carter in-custody death," the message read. With the purpose of the video to investigate "the possibility that an individual, hand-cuffed behind his back, may or may not have the ability to use a concealed firearm in a manner that would give rise to his or her death," an officer about Carter's height and build, with his face blurred, can be seen reenacting the shot in the video.
In it, the officer can be seen wriggling his handcuffed hands from behind his back and then raising a toy gun to his head. "The circumstances displayed are not intended to illustrate the only means by which an individual could injure themselves but merely to determine the feasibility of these actions," the video states. The investigation is still ongoing and awaits forensic and other investigative material that will be used to complete a full inquiry.
