Alva Braziel, 38, was standing in the middle of a Houston street when he was gunned down by officers
HORRIFIC footage showing a black man being gunned down by police has been released by authorities to show he was armed in the seconds before the fatal shooting.
Alva Braziel was shot dead while standing in the middle of a southeast Houston Street on July 9 with police arguing the 38-year-old had been waving a gun at him and they had no choice but to shoot.
The father had been standing in the middle of the street when police arrived, with the fatal shots occurring barely 10 seconds after they pulled over.
In the full video, which goes for almost 20 minutes, officers can be heard saying they thought Braziel was waving at them for help and only realised he was armed when they pulled over and flashed a light on him.
In the bodycam footage, which was released two weeks after the fatal shooting, the first officer can be heard asking if witnesses knew the man gunned down before yelling at them to get back from the scene.
Heavy breathing can be heard as the second officer approaches Braziel, who is lying in a pool of blood.
The distressing footage then shows police examine the body with the gun in Braziel's hand clearly visible.
In releasing the video, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said: "I am taking this particular step to produce all of the videos that we have in our possession so the people can see that we are being very transparent and, quite frankly, I don't want any police officers shot at or killed, and the community and the police must work hand in hand together.
"With things that are happening all over the country right now and with the level of uneasiness and tension in the air, I thought it was in everyone's best interest and the best interest of the security of this city to make this footage available."
He said that the narrative being shared online that Braziel had his arms up and was unarmed when shot by police was untrue.
Surveillance video from the gas station had been shared on social media, with some suggesting the man had his hands up before he was shot.
Turner said: "I can't make up the facts. The facts are what they are. The reality is that this was not a case of an unarmed person that was shot down by the police.
"I think most will agree that if you are holding up a gun at 12.38 in the middle of Cullen Street, and if you turn around and you point it, the results are not going to be good."
Acting Police Chief Martha Montalvo said the two officers involved in the shooting believed there was an immediate threat to themselves and to the public.
She said in a statement: "Once the threat was contained, officers activated their cameras."
Ambulance crews were called for Braziel but he died from his injuries.
The victim's wife Nikki told ABC13: "You can see the laws shooting him down and his hands, with his pistol in his hands.
"He didn't point no gun at them. They say he wave it at them, he didn't wave no gun at them."
The video was released with the permission of Braziel's family.
During the recording, one of the officers called to the scene can be heard telling the fellow officer involved in the shooting to call the union.
Other family members told that they were devastated by Braziel's death.
His cousin Tamika Stepherson said: "I feel sad, I'm hurt, I'm depressed. Yes, we are suffering as a family but I really feel bad for his mother. I put myself in her shoes, what if it was my child? I'm horrified."
Internal affairs and the Harris County are now investigating the shooting.
The release of the video comes after a string of fatal police shootings of black men going viral on social media.
The fatal shooting of Alton Sterling was captured on video with the 37-year-old pinned down by police when he was shot in Baton Rouge.
The immediate aftermath of Philando Castile's death was also captured on Facebook live with his girlfriend telling the camera that he had been trying to get his ID out to show the police officer when he was shot.
Their deaths sparked hundreds of Black Lives Matter protests.
