Not sure, he could have had a CCW and was just letting the officer know he was armed. Since the officer who was talking to him was not the one who used deadly force this could be a very unfortunate situation.
We need more information.
With the information given, I’m thinking he exposed the firearm by moving, or lifting his shirt or jacket. That move toward the gun is what got him shot.
Two hands in the air, while informing police you are in possession, verbally, would probably ended up differently.
“Not sure, he could have had a CCW and was just letting the officer know he was armed. Since the officer who was talking to him was not the one who used deadly force this could be a very unfortunate situation.”
I don’t have much faith in this article. Their “gated” area is where a garage puts junk cars. Another article references Cram saying he flashed the gun.
Cram on video:
... the male introduced a gun into the conversation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQHrG-90jtw
"Unfortunate" one way to describe it. One would hope these fellows with the magical blue suits also had cameras on, so we can find out if their claims match reality.