Judge orders video released of police killing unarmed man

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Judge orders video released of police killing unarmed man

Brian Melley, Associated Press

Updated 4:56 pm, Tuesday, July 14, 2015

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A federal judge ordered a suburban Los Angeles city on Tuesday to release video of police fatally shooting an unarmed man two years ago.

Judge Stephen Wilson said the public should be able to see what led the city of Gardena to pay $4.7 million to settle a lawsuit with the family of the dead man and another man wounded in the shooting.

"The fact that they spent the city's money, presumably derived from taxes, only strengthens the public's interest in seeing the videos," Wilson wrote in his 13-page decision. "Moreover, defendants cannot assert a valid compelling interest in sealing the videos to cover up any wrongdoing on their part or to shield themselves from embarrassment."

News media companies argued there is intense public scrutiny of police shootings nationwide and under a First Amendment right to access court documents the videos should be unsealed.


Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Judge-orders-video-released-of-police-killing-6384552.php

[cstanleytech]

1. I agree with the judge, after all if citizens are kept in the dark they cannot exactly press

for changes to be made to fix problems.