Graphic body cam footage shows fleeing black man killed by Minneapolis police, who say he was armed

"Please don't shoot me," Thurman Blevins begged as the two Minneapolis police officers closed in during a foot chase. "Leave me alone."

Seconds later, he was dead, with an object police say was a handgun lying in the alleyway next to him.

The exchange is captured in body camera footage released by the city of Minneapolis on Sunday, a little over a month after Blevins, 31, was fatally shot. Less than 24 hours after it was taken, his death on June 23rd would lead to protests across the city as activists decried the death of yet another black man at the hands of white police officers.

Prior to the footage's release, some basic details of the incident had been in dispute: Police said that Blevins had been holding a gun, but some witnesses claimed that he had been unarmed.

One video begins as officers Justin Schmidt and Ryan Kelly drive through a neighborhood in northern Minneapolis looking for a suspect who had reportedly been firing a gun in the air.

In a transcript of the 911 call, a woman who wouldn't give her name for fear of being labeled a snitch, said he looked intoxicated, and had also been shooting at the ground.

The description: A black male with a black backpack and a bottle of gin. 6 feet tall, 180 pounds, tapered hair, wearing a white-and-grey tank top.

"That's kind of a really good description for that to be an actual legitimate call," Schmidt says in the video. "But. . .then again."

Sirens on, they cruise down leafy streets lined with Victorian houses, passing through red lights. They don't see anyone matching the suspect's description.

Then, a few blocks from where the first caller had reported seeing a man wandering around with a gun, they spot Blevins sitting on the curb with a grey dog.

"He's got a bottle of gin," Schmidt says. "Is he. . . black tank top, tapered hair. . .. yeah."

Then, with considerably more urgency in his voice, Schmidt says: "He's got a gun."

The car comes to an abrupt stop. Both officers jump out.

Blevins springs from the curb and starts running, dropping the dog's leash and nearly knocking over a woman with a stroller. He takes off down the street.

"Put your hands up! I will f-ing shoot you!" Schmidt yells.

Both officers chase after Blevins, shouting at him to stop and put his hands.

"Come on man, come on man, I didn't do nothing, bro," Blevins says as he runs.

"You've got a gun. . .." Schmidt responds, using an expletive to address the man.

"I don't," Blevins calls back.

"Yes, you do," Schmidt replies "Put it down."

Sprinting past a white picket fence, Blevins rounds a corner and turns down an alleyway.

"Homie, please," he pants. "Please, don't shoot me. Leave me alone."

About 45 seconds into the chase, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Schmidt starts firing. Blevins collapses. When the officers get closer, what appears to be a small handgun is lying on the ground near Blevins' right hand.

In addition to the two officers' body camera videos, the city also released an "enhanced" version of the footage where the gun police say he was carrying has been circled. The object is visible in Blevins's pocket when the officers first arrive on the scene, then in his hands when Schmidt opens fire.

A warning that precedes the enhanced video says that was "stabilized and analyzed" by the National Center for Audio & Video Forensics in California to reduce camera shake, but that the content was not altered.

Blevins' cousin, Sydnee Brown, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that the footage confirmed her belief that Blevins had not been a threat to police.

"Officers Ryan Kelly and Justin Schmidt should be fired without pay and prosecuted to the full extent of the law," she said, according to KSTP.

Schmidt's lawyer, Kevin Short, had a different interpretation. "It's gratifying to know the actions of the officers were justified. Hopefully the public learned a lesson to wait for all the facts and video to come out before vilifying officers," he told the station.

Reactions to the video were mixed. Some argued that the officers had been justified in shooting Blevins, since he appeared to have a gun and had refused to drop it despite multiple warnings. Others argued that police should have done more to de-escalate the situation when they arrived on the scene.

Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo told local media outlets that he couldn't comment on the video, since a criminal investigation into the shooting is still pending. Both officers are currently on leave.

In a news conference on Sunday night, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey described the videos as "traumatic," but declined to interpret the video or pass judgment.

"Regardless of the circumstances and facts that took place on the afternoon of June 23rd, and regardless of how our own life experiences and backgrounds inform the conclusions that we draw, let us all recognize one conclusion," he said. "A life was lost and that, in and of itself, is a tragedy."

Blevins' death is one of several controversial police shootings that have taken place in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area in recent years. The deaths of Philando Castile, Jamar Clark, and Justine Damond also sparked citywide protests.