Long Beach police released a 17-minute video Saturday showing portions of an hours-long standoff on the steps of a North Long Beach church that ended in a deadly shooting.

The footage provides the most in-depth look yet into the officers’ actions, which have drawn strong criticism from the family of the man killed. They said he was seeking help in the midst of a mental health crisis and was facing unnecessary violence.

In contrast, Long Beach Police Chief Wally Hebeish praised the officers – one of whom was injured by gunfire – for their patience and care in the face of danger.

The video first shows a text message that officers received on the afternoon of Nov. 19 reporting a shooter at the church on Atlantic Avenue near 52nd Street. Brandon Boyd, who was standing on the stairs when officers arrived, later admitted sending the text message.

The video shows portions of officers’ conversations with Boyd, 38, in which it is said he made “suicidal comments.”

When a police negotiator tells Boyd that she knows he’s having a bad day, he responds that he’s “having a bad life.”

At one point he says that if he had “a bigger caliber, I would have just pointed it at myself and found a nice, quiet place.”

In another clip, he tells an officer: “Bro, you can’t help me. At some point I will force you to act.”

Police said negotiations lasted more than two hours, after which SWAT officers developed a plan to “separate” Boyd from the firearm he possessed.

The video shows clips of officers throwing a stun grenade at Boyd and firing foam bullets at him. At that point, surveillance camera video from inside the church shows Boyd grabbing an object on the ground behind him and pointing it at the officers.

The notes police added to the video said it was a handgun and that Boyd fired “multiple shots” at the officers. It’s not clear from the video whether Boyd hit anyone, but Police Chief Hebeish has previously said they believe one of Boyd’s bullets wounded an officer in the arm.

Boyd’s family has suggested that the wound may have been caused by a gunshot fired by one of the four officers who shot Boyd.

A retired police officer who reviewed the video for the Long Beach Post said Boyd clearly intended to commit “suicide by cop” but questioned some of the department’s tactics, including the decision to throw a stun grenade , and the fact that four different officers shot Boyd. He said releasing all of the footage from that night could shed light on officers’ decision-making.

Police released the video of Boyd’s death – which received widespread attention in local media – more quickly than usual. In recent police shootings, it took between one and three months for Long Beach police to release similar footage.

A 2019 state law requires police departments to immediately release video and audio recordings of all police shootings unless they can provide specific reasons why disclosure would endanger a witness or interfere with the investigation.

Long Beach police have not yet released the unedited, unnarrated footage of this or any other police shooting this year.

Boyd’s family and the local Black Lives Matter department not only pushed for police to release the footage, but also called on Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson to take a stand on the incident and “hold police accountable.” pull”.

Richardson issued a statement Saturday coinciding with the video’s release, saying he acknowledged “the deep pain, sadness and strong emotions that the events of the night of November 19 have left many in our community.” Members of the Boyd family and our first responders.”

In his communications with the police chief, Richardson said he is “committed to transparency and the timely release of critical documents to ensure clarity and maintain public trust.”

You can watch the video which contains disturbing content, Here.