Activists accuse RPD of 'choosing not to do the right thing' in use of body cameras
Civil rights activists say it is time for the Raleigh Police Department to make a change after a report showed body cameras were switched off during the shooting death of Soheil Mojarrad.
A “five-day report” released by Raleigh police on Thursday showed that Mojarrad advanced toward Officer W.B. Edwards with a knife in his hand, prompting Edwards to fire multiple times. The only account of the deadly encounter is from the officer involved.
The police report indicated that Edwards did not activate his body camera during the encounter, and his police car was not parked in the right place for his dashboard camera to record footage of the altercation.
Civil rights activists and community leaders on Friday questioned why there is no footage of the deadly encounter.
“How come we can’t get body cameras right in the City of Raleigh? It’s not complex. This is will, they are choosing not to do the right thing,” said Raleigh-Apex President Gerald Givens.
A study published by the National Conference of State Legislatures “found that when police were equipped with cameras during the test period, use of force incidents and citizen complaints against officers were reduced by 50 and 90 percent, respectively.”
“You see all the family and friends and people that support these families that are losing our loved ones, together in unity, to support each other, to make changes in our city,” said Rolanda Byrd, whose son, Akiel Denkins, was killed in a police shooting in 2016.
Body camera video in the Kyron Hinton case in April 2018 led to the firing of two law enforcement officers and two others were placed on administrative duty.
Mojarrad’s father joined the group on Friday to make an emotional plea to Raleigh police to implement a mandatory policy for the use of body cameras.
“I’m here to talk about my star in the southern sky. That’s his name and he remains shining,” Mehrdad Mojarrad said.
In a statement, Raleigh police said “The Raleigh Police Department stands by the language of the five-day report. The investigation is ongoing.”
The Mojarrad family plans to hold the Soheil Festival of Life on Saturday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at 1624 N.C. Highway 39 in Louisburg. The event is open to the public.
