Stepbrothers on camera 'stealing beer from store' moments before they were shot by police

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Andre Thompson, 24, and Bryson Chaplin, 21, caught on camera
Appear to pick up case of beer in Olympia, Washington, then flee
Both were shot by Officer Ryan Donald, but are expected to live

Published: 20:40 EST, 22 May 2015 | Updated: 00:37 EST, 23 May 2015

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Law enforcement officials on Friday released surveillance video from a grocery store that is part of an investigation of an officer-involved shooting that wounded two men who were suspected of trying to steal beer.

The video released by the Thurston County Sheriff's Office in Washington state shows two young black men walking into a store holding skateboards.

Olympia Police Department spokeswoman Laura Wohl said in an email that officials have confirmed 'that the individuals in the Safeway surveillance are the two suspects who were shot.'

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In this image made from Thursday, May 21, 2015 security camera video and released by the Thurston County Sheriff's Office on Friday, a Safeway employee, left, stands in front of a man in the store in Olympia, Wash. An Olympia police officer responded around 1 a.m. Thursday to a 911 call from the store and reported he was being assaulted with a skateboard before shooting and wounding Bryson Chaplin and Andre Thompson near the store

In this image made from Thursday, May 21, 2015 security camera video and released by the Thurston County Sheriff's Office, two men leave a Safeway store in Olympia, Wash. An Olympia police officer responded around 1 a.m. Thursday to a 911 call from the store and reported he was being assaulted with a skateboard before shooting and wounding Bryson Chaplin and Andre Thompson near the store

Suspect throws beer at store employee before being shot

One is seen leaving with what appears to be a case of beer. When confronted by a store employee, the man tosses it near her and the case breaks, splattering liquid on the ground. The man then runs away.

Olympia Officer Ryan Donald was among those who responded about 1 a.m. Thursday to a 911 call from the Safeway store, which was released by Olympia police on Friday. In that call, the store worker says her hand was hit when the case of beer was thrown at her.

Donald reported he was being assaulted with a skateboard before the shooting that injured Bryson Chaplin, 21, and Andre Thompson, 24. Police, who originally identified the two as stepbrothers, said Friday they are half brothers.

Andre Thompson, left, and Bryson Chaplin, right, are suspected of trying to steal beer from a grocery store before they were shot by a police officer in Washington state's capital city of Olympia on Thursday

Hundreds of people protesting a police shooting gather outside of City Hall in Olympia, Wash., on Thursday, May 21, 2015. Police say that two stepbrothers suspected of trying to steal beer from a grocery store were unarmed when they were shot by an officer who later confronted them. (AP Photo/Rachel La Corte)

Olympia Police Chief Ronnie Roberts, right, talks with civil rights advocate Nat Jackson, left, Thursday, May 21, 2015, after Roberts held a news conference in Olympia, Wash. Two stepbrothers suspected of trying to steal beer were shot early Thursday in Olympia by a police officer who confronted and reported he was being assaulted with a skateboard. Jackson said he came down to City Hall to try and get as many facts as he could about the incident. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

At a news conference Thursday, Olympia Police Chief Ronnie Roberts said that while the suspects are black and the officer is white, 'There's no indication to me that race was a factor in this case at all.'

Roberts said that officers arriving to the call split up to search for the suspects. Donald encountered two men with skateboards who fit witnesses' descriptions, and moments later, he radioed in that shots had been fired, the police chief said.

In radio calls released by police, Donald calls dispatchers once he spots the men, and again to report that he fired shots, and that both of them were running.

He tells dispatchers that one of the men 'assaulted me with his skateboard.'

'I tried to grab his friend,' Donald said. 'They're very aggressive, just so you know.'

He then says he has one man, then both, at gunpoint and asks for backup.

People gather inside and outside a fence Thursday, May 21, 2015, during a rally at a park in Olympia, Wash. Two stepbrothers suspected of trying to steal beer from a grocery store were shot early Thursday by a police officer after he confronted them and reported he was being assaulted with a skateboard. Both men are expected to survive. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

A speaker uses a bullhorn Thursday, May 21, 2015, at a park in Olympia, Wash., in front of a poster bearing the names of Andre Thompson and Bryson Chaplin, stepbrothers suspected of trying to steal beer who were shot early Thursday by a police officer who reported he was being assaulted with a skateboard. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Seconds later, he shouts, 'Shots fired! One down,' and again asks for more backup units. He then says the second man has been shot.

Chaplin was in intensive care, but his condition was upgraded from critical to serious, officials with Harborview Medical Center in Seattle said Friday. Thompson, who was originally brought to Tacoma General Hospital and had been in stable condition, according to police, was not listed as being at the hospital late Thursday.

Thursday's shooting is being investigated by a team of detectives from several agencies. Two skateboards were recovered from the shooting scene and an investigation will likely take three to six weeks, said Brad Watkins, chief deputy of the Thurston County Sheriff's Department. The men weren't armed with guns, investigators said.

The police chief said Donald wasn't injured, but an officer 'has the right to defend himself' if a suspect wields an object that could be used as a deadly weapon.

Olympia Police Chief Ronnie Roberts, center, speaks to the media about a police-involved shooting as City Mayor Stephen H. Buxbaum, right,and City Manager Steve Hall, left, look on, Thursday, May 21, 2015, in Olympia, Wash. Police say that two stepbrothers suspected of trying to steal beer from a grocery store were not armed when they were shot by a police officer who later confronted them. (AP Photo/Rachel La Corte)

He said that there is no known video of the confrontation between Donald and the two men, and noted that Olympia police officers do not wear body cameras and their cars are not outfitted with dashboard cameras.

Donald, 35, who is on administrative leave pending the investigation, has been with the department for just over three years. No residents have filed complaints against him, and he was recently recognized by the agency for being proactive on investigations, Roberts said. He worked previously as an Army police officer, the chief said.

The release of the video and 911 call came a day after hundreds of people protesting the shootings rallied at a park then marched about a mile to a building that houses police headquarters and City Hall.