An Illinois police officer's screams for help during a life-and-death struggle with a man wanted on a murder warrant before a backup officer fatally shot him were captured in dramatic videos released on Monday.
The Lake County State's Attorney released the dashcam and body camera videos from the July 26, 2018 encounter between Lakemoor officer Brianna Tedesco and Kenneth Martell, who was asleep in a parked car in suburban Chicago.
In the video, Martell tells Tedesco his name is "James Dunkin," but the officer tells him a search was unable to find a driver's license record for anyone matching that name
"I just have to make sure you don't have any warrants or anything... which I'm sure you don't," she could be heard saying. "Once I confirm that, you'll be on your way, no big deal."
POLICE SUICIDES RISING, UNION SAYS MEDIA VILIFICATION IS ‘LEADING CAUSE OF DESPAIR’
Martell, who was wanted on a murder warrant for a fatal shooting in Pennsylvania, hands Tedesco a piece of paper then grabs a handgun and aims it at the officer.
The trigger didn't fire, and they struggled over the gun for about 20 seconds as Tedesco screamed for help.
Another officer, Anthony Loiacono, quickly approached and shot Martell once after he attempted to grab a second weapon.
OFFICERS KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY IN 2018
The Lake County State's Attorney's office determined the police shooting was an appropriate use of force. Lake County State's Attorney Mike Nerheim told ABC7 the incident was great police work.
"This case illustrates how tough a job law enforcement can be," Nerheim said.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Martell faced a murder warrant in the beating and stabbing death three days earlier of Theodore Garver during a robbery in Springboro, Pennsylvania.
When authorities searched the nearby woods after the Illinois shooting they discovered additional weapons, including rifles, shotguns and crossbows, ABC7 reported.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.