New Petito video sheds new light on domestic dispute

Newly released body camera footage shed news light on a domestic dispute between Gabby Petito and her fiance that occurred as the couple traveled in Utah, reported CNN, which obtained the new footage.

The body camera, which was worn by Moab officer Eric Pratt, contains footage close to an hour in length. In the footage, Pratt tells Petito that several witnesses had alleged that her fiance, Brian Laundrie, hit her and asked her what happened.

Petito said that while Laundrie had hit her, she had hit him first, according to CNN. Upon further pressing by the officer, Petito said, “Well, he kept telling me to shut up.”

Petito continued to affirm that while Laundrie had hit her, she had hit him initially.

“Well, he like grabbed my face, like, I guess … He didn’t like, hit me in the face. He didn’t, like, punch me in the face or anything,” Petito told the officer, according to the network.

“Well he, like, grabbed me with his nail, and I guess that’s why it looks … definitely I was cut right here [points to cheek] because I can feel it. When I touch it, it burns,” Petito later added.

New details have emerged of a reported domestic dispute between Gabby Petito and her fiance while traveling through Utah in August, as shown on additional bodycam footage from a responding officer. https://t.co/Td4QbO68KM

— CNN (@CNN) October 1, 2021

Meanwhile, Laundrie was reportedly seen on bodycam footage saying, “I pushed her away,” according to Fox News.

“She gets really worked up, and when she does she swings. And she had her cell phone in her hand. So I was just trying to push her away,” he continued, claiming to not have enough time to dispute allegations that he hit Petito.

Officers suggested that Petito and Laundrie split up for the remainder of the day and no charges were filed against either one, according to CNN.

The city of Moab is conducting an investigation into the police department’s response to the incident, but added, “At this time, the City of Moab is unaware of any breach of Police Department policy during this incident. However, the City will conduct a formal investigation and, based on the results, will take any next steps that may be appropriate,” CNN reported. 

The Hill has reached out to Moab police for more information.

The new footage comes as officials continue to search for Laundrie, who returned to Florida from a cross country trip without his fiancee last month. Authorities confirmed that human remains found in a national park in Wyoming were Petito’s, according to the BBC. 

An arrest warrant has been issued for Laundrie, though law enforcement officials have not specifically determined whether Laundrie was involved in her death.