Body cam footage is one of the more important aspects of modern law enforcement. The technology isn’t perfect. However, it often provides us with a rare chance to see events from the eyes of police officers. In a recent case, we see how things played out between office Josh Baker and 31-year-old Nika Holbert. Holbert wouldn’t survive the encounter. Meanwhile, officer Baker made it through the encounter but with serious injuries. The encounter began with something that police officers experience fairly often. Baker needed to pull a car over onto the side of the road. Or, rather, that’s what he’d hoped for. But this seemingly routine check turned out to be anything but normal. The Chevy Camaro that Baker spotted had been reported with outstanding warrants. But a cause for greater concern came from the fact that it was owned by a wanted drug dealer. Officer Baker proceeded to pull the car over under the suspicion that it was being driven by Demond Buchanan. Buchanan was a convicted felon and known dealer. As such, there was a solid need for concern.
However, things didn’t go as expected when Baker pulled the car over. Instead of a threatening male drug dealer, he encountered a 31-year-old woman. However, the officer’s body camera would serve as a warning that appearances can be deceiving. Baker proceeded to look through Holbert’s belongings. This was due to the fact that she was driving the car of a drug dealer with outstanding warrants. Officer Baker proceeded to look through the woman’s belongings under the suspicion that she might have drugs stored in the vehicle. The body cam footage showed that officer Baker’s concerns were justified. The video from his camera shows him looking through Holbert’s belongings before finally finding a tiny bag. This bad was shown to contain a powdered substance, presumably a controlled item of one type or another. Baker proceeded to place her under arrest. However, things quickly escalated. She refuses to comply with the officer and instead moves back into her car. Baker attempts to forcibly pull her out of the vehicle. The bodycam footage then takes a chilling turn as Holbert is then seen holding a handgun.
Baker then loudly informs her that she needs to “put the gun down”. Holbert proceeds to open fire on the officer. Officer baker collapses as the Camaro proceeds to drive away from him. Baker is still conscious and is able to radio in the incident. It seemed at the time that Holbert had gotten away as an easy victor in the confrontation. However, she would soon crash her vehicle at an intersection. The reason would become clear as police made their way to the scene of the incident. It turns out that officer Baker had been able to wound the woman at some point during the confrontation. She was slowly bleeding out as she made her space. At this point, she was suffering from the dual effects of both the initial shot and a vehicular crash. Responders brought her to Skyline Medical Center with all the speed they could muster. However, she would pass away soon after. Officer Baker survived the incident after surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. An investigation was performed in order to determine if everything had been done in order to properly deescalate the situation. The body cam footage would prove as solid evidence that officer Baker acted as he should during the incident.
