By Valentine Amanze, Online Editor
Nigerian and former Cincinnati Bengals player, Ekom Udofia, has been killed by the police in Arizona, U.S.
The police in Phoenix, Arizona confirmed the killing in a released video showing Udofia’s ordeal in the hands of the law-enforcement agents.
The shooting occurred on November 30, 2020 and the bodycam footage was released as part of the department’s critical incident briefings, in which they informed the media about police-involved shootings.
The footage shows Phoenix Police officers deploying stun bags, pepper balls and a dog on Udofia after responding to a call that a man was acting erratically near traffic, according to theGrio report.
Officers were told that the man appeared to be on drugs, and when they responded, they found Udofia, 33, holding what appeared to be a gun.
“Please drop the gun, dude!” one officer yelled. “Please, please do not make me shoot you!”
As Udofia continued to approach the car, the officer yelled, “Dude, I got to shoot him, bro!”
The officers were reported to have fired on Udofia, who dropped to the ground. He was then ordered to move away from the weapon; other officers responded. Udofia was fired on again and bitten by a police dog after pointing what turned out to be a BB gun at them, according to theGrio report.
The Nigerian, Scottsdale-raised Udofia had struggled in recent years with mental health issues, sources said.
He’d been arrested for petty crimes including disorderly conduct and indecent exposure and was reportedly meeting the resulting probation requirements.
“Additionally, he does not view himself as a bad person and believes he needs more help with his mental health than jail time,” court documents show, according to AZ Central.
“His criminal history has all been mental health-related, and he is in a good place now.”
The officers who shot Udofia have been identified as Ryan Hoffrichter, Lance Wisuri, Nathaniel Hansen and Steve Mead.
The Phoenix Police Department is investigating the shooting. If criminal action is found, the case will be referred to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
Udofia played defensive tackle with the Cincinnati Bengals and New Orleans Saints after attending Stanford University, where he majored in public policy.