** (Disclaimer: This video content is intended for educational and informational purposes only) **
Body camera footage of a fatal officer-involved shooting in Thomasville has now been released. Herbert Gilbert Jr., 37, was fatally shot last August while Thomas County Drug Agents attempted to serve a search warrant at his home. The shooting set off several days of protests in Thomas County. Last week, a grand jury ruled this shooting was justified and now we have the footage showing what led to a drug agent firing those fatal shots. The video shows Thomas County Drug Agents arriving at a home on Magnolia Street. One agent announces he has a search warrant. After deputies search the home, they learn Gilbert is outside in an SUV. Coming from the left side of the video, you can see an agent's truck ramming into the front of the SUV Gilbert is driving.
The truck pits Gilbert's SUV into a neighboring yard where multiple deputies demand he get out of the car. The SUV begins to roll back and that's when Deputy Josh Smith fires multiple rounds into the windshield. He fired seven rounds into the windshield and an eighth round into the passenger window. An autopsy revealed Gilbert was struck nine times. Gilbert was found with marijuana and $883 in his pocket and a set of scales in his vehicle. Body cam footage also showed first responders performing CPR on Gilbert and a chaotic scene with family members and neighbors arriving. The case could go to a civil trial.
