Police have released bodycam footage of the terrifying moment a pregnant woman dove for cover as officers shot the man who had been holding her hostage at gunpoint.
The videos show Johnathan Autry, 28, holding the woman hostage in Charlotte, North Carolina in September after he broke into her home late at night.
Multiple officers from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department responded to the home invasion call and could be heard shouting at Autry to drop his gun.
The woman, who was dressed in a blue shirt and could be seen cradling her stomach, begged officers for help and repeatedly said: ‘I’m pregnant!’
Police have released bodycam footage that shows Johnathan Autry, 28, holding a pregnant woman (above) hostage in her home in Charlotte, North Carolina in September
After a tense standoff, the officers seemed to notice the woman was momentarily free of Autry’s grip and yelled for her to get out of the way.
She dropped to the ground as gunfire rang out and frantically crawled to safety.
The woman could be heard screaming in the background as the officers surrounded the wounded hostage-taker.
Autry survived the shooting and has been in Mecklenburg County Jail ever since.
He is charged with multiple offenses including kidnapping and robbery with a dangerous weapon.
The videos show Johnathan Autry, 28, holding the woman hostage with a gun (above) at her home after he broke in late at night
The woman, who was dressed in a blue shirt and could be seen cradling her stomach, begged officers for help and repeatedly said: ‘I’m pregnant!’
The three Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers who fired their weapons were all placed on administrative leave, but they were all found to have acted lawfully by the District Attorney.
Police released all three bodycam videos that captured the shooting on Wednesday.
Authorities said at the time that the home invasion was not random because Autry had mentioned the victim’s husband by name.
The husband wasn’t home at the time, just the woman and a child.
The woman was taken to hospital to be treated as a precaution.
Officers surrounded the wounded hostage-taker seconds after they opened fire on him
Autry is charged with multiple offenses including kidnapping and robbery with a dangerous weapon