HOMEWOOD, Ala. (WIAT) — Homewood Mayor Alex Wyatt posted a statement Monday regarding the body camera footage of a police officer shooting and killing 18-year-old Jabari Peoples on June 23.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency is handling the investigation into the shooting. Wyatt said July 2 the city requested the ALEA to allow Peoples’ family to see what happened that night.
As the Mayor of Homewood, I continue to urge the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency toallow the family of Jabari Peoples to view the body camera footage from the June 23shooting incident. Their request is completely understandable.
Legally, we don’t have the authority to release the footage because ALEA has taken over theinvestigation and, under the law, it controls access to evidence because it is the custodian ofthe footage. We have made that distinction clear in our legal filings in Jefferson CountyCircuit Court.
We know this is an incredibly difficult time for everyone involved and want objective resultsmade available to the family and the public as quickly as possible
Homewood Mayor Alex Wyatt
The city filed a response Friday to the family of Jabari Peoples’ petition for the release of the body camera footage and other information. A hearing on the matter is set for 9 a.m. Aug 4.
“Our position remains the same,” said Leroy Maxwell, an attorney representing the family of Jabari Peoples, in a statement released Monday. “The family deserves the truth and our community deserves transparency. ALEA show us the full unedited footage from the parking lot, from the dash camera, and from the body camera.”
“Homewood may not be the custodian of the video footage,” Maxwell said in another statement. “But Homewood can release the identity of the officer, incident reports, and use of force reports as requested in our petition.”
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump is scheduled to hold a press conference Tuesday regarding the results of an independent autopsy on Peoples. Jefferson County Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates said in a statement the coroner’s office completed its report on Peoples.
Yates stated the ALEA requested the office not to release the report because it is investigative material in an active investigation. The ALEA requested the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office to defer all records request to it, according to Yates.
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