Relatives of a Black man killed by Alabama police outside his home are requesting additional details about the circumstances around his death and access to the body camera footage depicting his final moments.
Stephen Perkins, 39, was killed in Decatur, Alabama, outside of his house on Friday, Sept. 29. Police assert that the man’s vehicle was being repossessed, and he got into a confrontation with the tow truck driver. The driver called 911 because Perkins allegedly pulled a gun on him.
Family members believe the Decatur Police Department’s account of what happened did not make sense considering who they knew Perkins to be and according to some of the financial records that he kept. They said they had receipts that showed his car payments were up to date.
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Also, several videos from neighbors’ homes show grainy glimpses of the deadly encounter that leave more questions than answers. In their opinion, based on footage they saw, officers used an “unjust excessive amount of force,” as their loved one was shot seven times.
One of the security videos released by the family’s publicist, Brent Lipscomb, seeks to show Perkins shining a bright light in the front yard.
The footage then shows him taking a couple of steps forward before suddenly springing backward and falling to the ground. The clip appears to capture an officer coming from Perkins’ right side, near his house.
The second video shows the officer running.
“Hey, hey, Police, get on the ground,” he yells in the recording, which then shows him firing multiple rounds.
A voice in the background of the black and white video screeches, “That’s the gun,” and then the cops are seen running over to what possibly is Perkins’ body.
The use of excessive force and possibly reckless endangerment are civil rights violations brought up by neighbor Justin Shepherd.
“I feel that this was reckless and sloppy. For this many bullet holes to be in my home while I’m sleeping, I’m afraid to go to sleep at night knowing that people can shoot my house up with immunity,” Shepherd said.
Over the weekend, the family and their supporters protested and petitioned for the DPD to release the police body camera footage. However, they have been met with resistance.
Police Chief Todd Pinion stated that he would not release body camera footage because his department and state police are still engaged in an ongoing investigation into Perkins’ death.
“It would be improper and irresponsible for me to comment on the evidence in this case and cannot legally release any evidence in the case,” the chief said, according to PBS.
While he did not go into detail, the department released a statement explaining the shooting as described by officers on site.
“Officers on scene ordered the homeowner to drop his weapon, which he refused to do. It was at this time the homeowner turned the gun towards one of the Officers on scene,” the release read. “The Officer discharged his duty weapon, striking the subject.”
Mayor Tab Bowling also released a video message about Perkins’ death, saying he is “grieving” with the rest of the residents “following the police-involved shooting.”
He said he and his wife visited with the family, and he “personally shared our condolences,” stating that “the grief in the home was beyond belief.”
He also said, “There was certainly hospitality and kindness, but the family understandably was laser-focused on one thing, and that’s the answers to why Steve lost his life.”
Bowling says he did not have the answers and was waiting for the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency to give him directives on what he and the local police should do regarding the release of information.
The ALEA said their initial review found Perkins “to be armed with a handgun which was also equipped with a light,” but it is still investigating what happened the night Perkins was killed.
Perkins was a family man “proudly raising” two daughters, 14 and 7 years old, with his wife. A manager at JM Smucker’s pet food manufacturer, he was also a gym enthusiast.
“They ambushed him,” Merritt said in a statement.
The attorney said Perkins went to his front yard that morning to investigate why his dog was barking when the police and tow truck driver surrounded his property. Merritt says they “revealed themselves and simultaneously opened fire.”
“He never had a chance to surrender. Officers didn’t announce their presence until the very last moment. Steve was committing no crime,” Merritt said.
