EPD Releases Body Cam Footage from Fatal Shooting

The Eureka Police Department has released body-worn camera footage from officers’ fatal shooting of Matthew Robert Williams, 31, on Nov. 26 after a traffic stop.

According to EPD, Williams fled from the passenger seat of a vehicle EPD pulled over for expired registration tags near the Ingomar Club and officers Jeremy Sollom and Nick Jones contacted him on the north end of the Humboldt County Library’s main branch. There, Williams reportedly pulled a firearm from his waistband and chambered a round, prompting the officers to open fire.

The video released today is edited and narrated by EPD. It shows the initial traffic stop and then a portion of the fatal encounter. It does now show what preceded Jones and Sollom contacting Williams, but starts with the three men engaged in a struggle, with an officer telling Williams to “get on the ground and stop reaching.” During the struggle, a firearm briefly appears visible in Williams’ hands and he appears to chamber a round before Sollom opens fire.

The Journal has requested the unedited version of Sollom’s camera footage.

According to police, Williams was found to be in possession of 42 grams of fentanyl, a “large amount of cash” and a ghost gun, meaning one that does not have a serial number and is untraceable. He also reportedly had several outstanding felony warrants.

Jones and Sollom suffered minor injuries in the altercation, according to the video. They were placed on paid administrative leave following the shooting but have since returned to fully duty.

The shooting remains under investigation by the multi-agency Humboldt County Critical Incident Response Team, and the investigation’s findings will be turned over to the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office for review when complete. EPD is conducting a parallel internal investigation.

Find the full video released from EPD here.

This article appears in Trouble on the Mountain.