Watkins contested the police department’s version of events, particularly their claim that Russell had been armed with a handgun at the bank. Alongside a photo of the bank’s CCTV footage, she wrote: “They keep saying he had a gun… I don’t see a gun in his hand at the bank they say he tried to rob! That’s not a gun!”

Police blocked off the area around Russell’s house for four blocks, Watkins said. She speculated this could have been in part to prevent people filming the incident, noting that police officers were not wearing body cams at the scene. As a result, there is no footage of Russell’s death.

However, the police said at a press conference that they were reviewing footage from vehicle cameras to see if any of them captured the incident. Peoria’s local newspaper, the Peoria Journal Star, reports that a formal investigation has been opened into Russell’s death, and members of the public have been asked to turn over any mobile phone footage to help investigators.

According to the New York Daily News, Russell had been released from a mental health facility shortly before he was killed. His father had apparently also asked to be allowed to enter the house to talk to his son, but the police refused him entry.

Images: Rex Features / Instagram

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