Harrisonburg Police are refusing to release complete body cam footage after an officer shot a 23-year-old man in a standoff last winter.
Harrisonburg Police are refusing to release complete body cam footage after an officer shot a 23-year-old man in a standoff last winter.
Michael Pierce Sr, father of the shot assailant/victim Michael Pierce Jr, claims the footage the police department showed him is not from the point of view of the officer who shot his son. Harrisonburg Police say that they have been transparent throughout the investigation, but will also not release the name of the officers involved in the incident for their safety.
This reluctance to give out the officer’s names has contributed to Pierce Sr’s suspicions.
“Why? They released the name of my son. Why? Transparency. That’s what we’re wanting,” Pierce said in an interview with WHSV 3.
The shooting occurred over six months ago and, according to Harrisonburg Police, the events of his murder went like this:
Pierce Jr. placed a gun to the chest of a neighbor. When officers arrived, they found him sitting on that neighbor’s porch next to his gun. Then, he picked up the weapon. After police ordered him more than 40 times to drop the gun, he ran away and fired at officers. That’s when they fired back. One of those shots killed him. The autopsy shows one bullet struck him through the chest also hitting his lungs and heart.
“The way it was portrayed was that he was just a crazy lunatic out there with a gun,” Pierce Sr said. “”I want to just see my son do this. If that’s what happened, then just show me, and I’ll go away. I’ll accept whatever happened that night. Like I said, I know Michael shouldn’t have been out there with a gun to begin with.”
He requested to see the footage of the officer who killed his son under the Freedom of Information act; this was subsequently denied by the department. In Virginia it is legal to turn down a FOIA request if an investigation is still considered ongoing or if there is a claim that the release of info could cause personnel harm and HPD says that both reason apply to their case.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia supports Pierce Sr’s plea.
Bill Farrar, Director of Public Policy and Communications for the ACLU of Virginia, said in an interview, “I can’t really think of a community event that’s more significant than an individual member of the community being shot fatally by law enforcement, and I think the community has a right to expect to understand what happened.”
“We call on the Harrisonburg Police Department to release the names of the officers involved as well as any video footage that is in their possession,” he added.
According to the National Institute of Justice and Fox 6 since 2013, the use of body cameras on police has risen from 25 % to one third of all stations (meaning a total of 18,000).
Though when it comes to issues like Pierce Sr’s where police can legally deny the release of the footage, it begs the question of whether these devices actually promote transparency.
Pierce Sr plans to pursue legal action if HPD continues to not let him see the video. He has created a crowsourcing website to raise the proper funds for a legal defense.
Check out more details in the video below:
