Rachel Tarrence death: Video shows Illinois State Police fatally shoot woman during traffic stop

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - A St. Louis-area law firm announced it is conducting an independent civil investigation into the fatal shooting of a 40-year-old woman by Illinois State Police after newly released video showed the encounter.

What we know:

Walton Telken Bragee, LLC says it has been retained by the family of Rachel Tarrence, of Maryville, Illinois, who was shot and killed by an ISP trooper on Jan. 4.

Screen grab of bodycam video that shows the fatal shooting.

The firm announced the investigation after ISP released video footage last week showing the moments leading up to the shooting.

Attorney Troy Walton said the video evidence raises serious concerns about what happened.

"The death of Rachel Tarrence is a tragedy," Walton said in a statement. "We believe that video evidence shows that this was an absolutely unnecessary and unjustified use of deadly force. It is yet another example of a senseless and avoidable death at the hands of law enforcement."

The backstory:

According to state police, the encounter began as part of an investigation into a reported stolen vehicle.

Video shows Tarrence being pulled into the side lot of a convenience store in East St. Louis and surrounded by four state police squad cars. Although she initially reversed and hit one of the squad cars, as she moved forward, the firm says her vehicle was not moving directly toward any officer when shots were fired.

"The circumstances of this case are eerily similar to the Renee Good shooting in Minneapolis," the firm said.

An officer fired three shots and police said Tarrence was later pronounced dead at an area hospital. Her 4-year-old son, who was in the back seat, and a front-seat passenger were not physically harmed in the incident.

According to the firm, a store manager reported that Tarrence had no clear path to flee police before shots rang out.

VIDEO CAN BE VIEWED HERE (WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT)

What's next:

The law firm says its legal team "will pursue every available avenue to uncover the truth and seek justice on behalf of Rachel and her family," which includes reviewing surveillance and body camera video, witness statements, state police records, and use-of-force standards.

What they're saying:

In the materials ISP released last week, they said the officer who fired the shots "has been placed on administrative status pending the outcome of the investigation."