CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Division of Police has released video footage showing the chaotic moments surrounding the death of Antwoina Carter last weekend amid gunfire and a vehicle crash.
Surveillance video reveals that Carter's car was shot at by a suspect on East 105th Street before she turned down Garfield Avenue toward Cleveland police officers, who fired after hearing the shots from down the street.
Carter was found outside her crashed vehicle and taken to University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
The Cuyahoga County Use of Deadly Force Team is investigating the shooting. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office stated on Thursday that its "preliminary testing does not indicate that police activity was directly responsible" for the 26-year-old Carter's death.
No arrests have been made as of yet.
"It is important to stress that this video is only a small part of the investigation," Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd said in an introduction to the footage.
What the video shows
Todd stated that Cleveland police dispatch received a call about a threat on Sunday morning at 3:49 a.m. The video shows officers arriving at a house in the 10500 block of Garfield Avenue at approximately 4:30 a.m. A female resident, Latrice Carter, told police that someone had shot at her daughter's car. However, the daughter was not at the house when police arrived.
At 4:38 a.m., police are startled as they hear gunshots ringing out from down the street near the intersection of East 105 and Garfield. "Shots fired. Send us a car. Officer-involved shooting," the officer on the body camera calls out.
"He's shooting at my daughter," Latrice Carter can be heard screaming.
Antwoina Carter's blue car can be seen coming down Garfield Avenue as the shots are being heard. A muzzle shot from across the street indicates a police officer shooting at the vehicle, Todd explained. Debris can be seen flying in the air after Carter's vehicle strikes a Cleveland police cruiser. The officer on body camera fires several shots as Carter's car moves further down Garfield.
"That's my daughter," Latrice Carter is heard screaming out again.
Todd also offered traffic camera video that showed Carter's car being chased by the suspect vehicle down East 105th Street. As the chase neared Garfield Avenue, video shows someone leaning out from the suspect car and shooting at Carter. The suspect's gun emitted a blue aiming laser, which could also be seen near the residence on Garfield.
Carter's car can be seen turning onto Garfield Avenue, erratically moving out of control and striking a Cleveland police cruiser as officers respond to the gunshots.
"On behalf of the city of Cleveland and the division of police, we want to offer our sincere condolences to the victim's family," Todd added at the end of the video.
You can watch the complete Cleveland Division of Police video in the player below.
Carter's family reacts
"She was silly, she was witty, she was a firecracker, she was my world," Latrice Carter told 3News about her daughter Antwoina.
Latrice said Antwoina lit up a room and she was loved by so many, always taking care of her whole family.
"We were just talking like who is going to cook because she always cooked the food, we figured we might try to cook but I don't think its gong to taste the same," Antwoina's Aunt Peaches said.
The family is now questioning police protocol.
"Could she have a chance to survive had they not started shooting as well? I don't know, I will never know," Latrice said.
"What's protocol? I know when somebody's shooting do you just pick up your gun and shoot back? Or did you shoot back because you're scared?" Peaches questioned.
Antwoina has five kids ages 7 months to 11 years old. Her oldest child's birthday was the day after she was killed.
"How do you live as a kid every year when you're birthday comes this is what you have to remember?" Peaches said.
The Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Department is investigating.