Police body-cam video from last month’s fatal shooting of a man by a CMPD officer will be released Monday.
The body-cam footage was recorded on March 25 at a Burger King on Beatties Ford Road where Charlotte-Mecklenberg Police Officer Wende Kerl shot and killed 27-year-old Danquirs Franklin. Police said Franklin refused repeated commands by officers to drop a gun.
A state law passed in 2016 requires a court order for the release of police videos. A judge last week ruled that body-cam video from last month’s shooting scene must be released at noon Monday to media organizations that petitioned the court. The judge also instructed CMPD to make the footage available to the general public at 2 p.m.
In a video message posted to the CMPD Facebook page last week, Chief Kerr Putney offered this caution to people who view body-cam videos:
“Your perspective that you bring to that viewing is going to sometimes determine how you view that video. Meaning, if I’m always supporting officers, I’m going to see a cop who should be cleared. If I always want to hold them accountable and don’t trust what they say, I’m going to see nuances in that video that enhance my perspective,” Putney said.
Putney urged viewers of police shooting videos to keep an “open mind.” The chief said the community must “come together” and “empathize with all parties involved.”
[Related Content: Judge Rules Release Of Body Cam Footing In Fatal Officer-Involved Shooting Of Danquirs Franklin]
CMPD did not oppose the release of body-cam footage from last month’s shooting. Officer Kerl’s attorney and the District Attorney's office did object. The judge overruled those objections, but ordered that the faces of some people shown in the video be disguised.
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