(Memphis) The medical examiner has released the autopsy report of a man shot and killed by Memphis police.
Witnesses say Steven Askew was sleeping in his car, police say he pulled a gun on them.
Askew was in his car at the Windsor Place apartments January 17 when two officers approached him.
The officers say Askew pointed a gun at them first and that’s why they responded with deadly force.
The autopsy report shows that police shot the 24-year-old nine times, once in the neck, once in each arm and six times in the back.
Was it necessary? That’s still unknown.
“He wasn’t committing a crime, he wasn’t doing anything,” said Askew Family Attorney Howard Manis. “He was asleep and now he’s gone.”
Manis says the autopsy seems to back-up his argument that the two Memphis police officers used excessive force and that they likely shot Askew from behind.
It’s something Askew’s friends and family have suspected for months.
The district attorney is still reviewing the case to see if the two officers involved, Ned Aufdenkamp and Matt Dyess, did anything wrong.
A month after Askew’s death, the Memphis Police Department said its initial investigation was complete and put them back on job in a non-enforcement capacity.
“The fact that they were put back on the job that quickly further concerns us as to the legitimacy of any investigation that is taking place,” said Manis.
Manis says he’s been conducting his own investigation and the autopsy is just part of it.
He’s still waiting for police to turn over their crime scene reports to find out exactly how many shots were fired and where investigators found Askew’s gun.
The autopsy also shows Askew had been drinking the night he was shot to death and his blood alcohol level was above the legal limit.
