Civil rights attorney demands release of body camera video in police shooting of Wallace man

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump on Wednesday repeatedly asked for the Wallace Police Department to publicly release body camera video of a deadly shooting of a naked man outside a mini mart.

Crump, Emancipate North Carolina executive director Dawn Blagrove and family members held a news conference to discuss the Feb. 24 shooting of James Lanier.

“It is just so aggravating to see Black person after Black person killed unjustifiably and unnecessarily,” Crump said. “And, they just try to sweep it under the rug as if our lives don’t matter.

“And, we [aren’t] going to let them sweep this under the rug.”

During Wednesday’s news conference, Crump and Blagrove also discussed Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman's decision not to file charges against Raleigh police officers in the January 2023 death of Darryl Williams.

Click or tap here: Watch Wednesday's news conference

“[We will be] filing a motion to ensure and fight like the devil to make sure everyone in this room and everyone in this country can see what happened to James Lanier,” Blagrove said.

In May, Lee County District Attorney Ernie Lee said lethal force was justified in Lanier’s shooting death. Lanier was 34.

Lee said Lanier was naked and disturbing customers on Feb. 24 inside an Express Mini Mart, spitting on a clerk and trying to fight with people.

Store employees said Lanier charged at police officers, who then used a Taser on him.