Washington, D.C., police release body camera video of fatal shooting

Washington, D.C., police released body-worn camera video from officers who fatally shot a community activist shortly after he crashed into a McDonald's.

Justin Robinson, 26, appeared to be passed out in the driver's side seat at the fast-food restaurant near 2500 Marion Barry Ave. SE before dawn on Sept. 1.

The grainy video released Monday night showed officers, with weapons drawn, surrounding Robinson's car and shouting instructions before gunfire erupts.

Robinson, who police say was armed, appeared to come out of his slumber and move his torso up from a reclined position.

"Hands up, hands up, hands up, hands up, hands up! Sir, don't touch the gun!" an officer screams. "“Hands up, hands up, hands up, hands up!"

The driver's hands appear to reach toward the officers through the window when police open fire through the glass and into Robinson at close range.

"The individual reaches up; he's grabbing the officer's weapon," Police Chief Pamela Smith told reporters. "And what you will see is there is an exchange of words and the officer disengages [and] discharges his firearm."

Prosecutors are reviewing the case to determine whether any officers might have been at fault, officials said.

Smith declined to immediately assign blame.

"I cannot get into the thought process of the officer," she said. "What I would like to be able to do is wait for the results of the investigation to come back in order to determine what the next steps would be."

Robinson was a "violence interrupter," involved in a prosecutor's program that helps residents of high-crime areas mediate disputes before they become violent confrontations.

“I don’t think there was any effort to de-escalate the situation,” said Brandon Burrell, an attorney for the loved ones of Justin Robinson, told NBC Washington.

Even if Robinson was trying to take a gun from an officer, police shouldn't have put him in that position, the family's lawyer said.

"I think that would be a natural inclination [to grab the gun] for anyone who is woken up out of their sleep [and] surrounded by multiple officers, firearms pointed at you," Burrell said.

The two officers who opened fire have been taken off the streets as the investigation continues.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com