A lack of video footage of the alleged police shooting of Kerry Bradley in Waco, Texas, on August 1, 2017 is resulting in public demonstrations and demands for justice. The Waco Police department has not released any official police footage of the incident. Officers had arrived at the Waco location in unmarked vehicles that are not equipped with cameras, and the purpose was to arrest Bradley on alleged drug charges. Police claim that Bradley, an African American, was trying to escape and ran over a detective. His GMC Yukon became lodged on top of Officer William Graeber. Police also say they did not fire their weapons at Bradley until Graeber had been hit by the vehicle. Bradley was killed in the alleged police shooting and Graeber suffered critical injuries.
Family members and protesters have been accusing the police officers of causing the accident by first shooting Bradley, who allegedly then lost control of his vehicle and struck the officer. There are claims that footage exists to prove this narrative, but it has not come forward and the Waco police haven’t seen any.
On Tuesday, August 15, a Waco City Council meeting was disrupted and then shut down as a result of loud chants of protestors demanding justice for Bradley.
Police cameras are widely used, but they are not on all Waco police vehicles. Police Chief Ryan Holt said he doesn’t want to make comments on the case at this time because it is still under investigation by Texas Rangers. His answer suggests that no official footage exists. He said officers will soon have body-worn cameras and it’s unnecessary to equip every unmarked police car with a video camera.
As with every post on this website, we are only providing information in this post and do not make any allegation or assertion that anyone acted inappropriately or engaged in misconduct.
–Guest Contributor