'Revolting' bodycam footage shows cops call a drowning man, 24, a 'dumba**' as he repeatedly begs them for help before dying in a river

Shocking video shows cops calling a drowning man a 'dumb ass' as he begs them to come to his rescue. 

Johnny 'JJ' Baldwin, 24, died after wading into a river in Winchester, Tennessee in front of the four police officers last Thursday.

Baldwin had fled from his car on foot after being pulled over by the cops for a minor traffic violation, according to WKRN. 

Johnny 'JJ' Baldwin, 24, drowned in the Tims Ford Boiling Fork Creek last Thursday as four officers watched on

He ended up in Tims Ford Boiling Fork Creek, where he was swept away from dry land while the cops watched on. 

Footage recorded on the officers' bodycams shows Baldwin begging for help at least three separate times. 

'Then swim. Your dumb a** jumped in the river,' one officer replies in the video.  

Another policeman can be seen contemplating jumping in to help rescue Baldwin, before a separate officer states: 'No, don't go in there with him, he's going to pull you down.'

After one of the cops noted that Baldwin had disappeared below the surface, the same cop claims: 'He's doing it on purpose'.

Baldwin's lifeless body was later pulled from the water. 

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Baldwin had reportedly fled from his car on foot after being pulled over by the cops for a minor traffic violation

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The local police chief claims it was too dark for the officers - who were not trained in water rescue- to wade into the creek and help Baldwin

Winchester Police Chief Richard Lewis told ABC News that his officers made 'the right decision' by not going into the creek to rescue the victim. 

Lewis said it was dark and therefore unclear how deep the water was. He believes it could have been a double tragedy if one of his policemen waded into the water. 

'We are not trained in water rescue - we do not possess the gear to do that... You've got to have a flotation device tied off somewhere to the bank where they can rescue you if something happens,' he stated. 

Officers had already called for back-up and a dive team were en route to the scene as Baldwin drowned. 

But the bodycam footage has left Baldwin's family members livid. 

Baldwin's cousin, Destiny,  told ABC News that the footage 'sent straight anger through me'. 

She and other relatives are calling for the cops to be fired, and they are hoping to press charges. 

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Baldwin's family have been left outraged by his tragic death, and are calling on the officers who watched him drown to be both fired and prosecuted 

Meanwhile, GWC Injury Lawyers are currently investigating 'the facts and circumstances' surrounding Baldwin's death. 

In an initial statement, the law firm offered a scathing assessment of the bodycam footage. 

'While the investigation is in its early stages, the police body camera video shared on social media depicting Johnny's death is nothing short of revolting in its display of utter indifference on the part of these officers to the plight of a drowning man.'

Company attorney Lance Northcutt is quoted in the statement: 'What you hear on the video isn’t the voice of fear from a frightened police officer. You hear childish taunting and ridicule. 

'You don't stand idly by and mock a dying man because you are afraid, you do it because you are so unmoored from that person's basic humanity that you don't care enough to act... They made a calculated decision to let him die.'

Baldwin, who was a native of Chicago, will be laid to rest in Illinois next week. 

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Baldwin, who was a native of Chicago, will be laid to rest in Illinois next week