DECATUR, Ala. — UPDATE (10/27): ALEA has denied the request of lawyers for Steve Perkins' family to view the police bodycam footage from the night Perkins was shot and killed by Decatur police. In a letter to attorney Cannon Lambert, ALEA stated in part:
"It is our agency's judgement that disclosing the requested recording at this time would affect SBI's ongoing investigation. Therefore, in accordance with state law, in the interest of protecting the constitutional rights of all involved, and in the interest of prioritizing a thorough law enforcement investigation of the recorded subject matter, ALEA respectfully declines to make the disclosure you have requested while the investigation remains pending."
UPDATE (10/26): Decatur city officials, including Police Chief Todd Pinion, held a news conference with updates on the investigation into police actions the night Steve Perkins was shot and killed.
UPDATE (10/25): Community has been a big part in the call for justice for Steve Perkins and the Athens community joining that cause. The Limestone County Alabama NAACP and other leaders in the Athens community joined together to "peacefully protest" the shooting of Perkins by Decatur police. Kelvin Macklin with the Limestone County NAACP says its time for transparency. "We are demanding transparency in this situation and accountability because this is a situation that is very, very important. And we leave for the bad actors to be held accountable."
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UPDATE (10/17): The Perkins' family legal team has still not seen police body cam video from the night Decatur police shot and killed Steve Perkins, and how they've been told there's another legal step they must take.
In an interview with FOX54's Ken McCoy, one of the attorneys who flew in to day to see the video was told they needed to submit a form, which they will do immediately, and after that there will be a determination as the whether they're going to be allowed to see the video. He says the family is disappointed, because they still don't know all of what happened and they want to know why it happened. Seeing the video goes a long way to that end.
The attorney also said, "Well, we understand that law enforcement has a desire to understand what happened and to get the facts. But I can tell you that a family like this, the Perkins family, has an even greater interest in that. And so to the extent that there is an interest in seeing what happened and why, there's nobody that should have those answers more than the Perkins family."
ALEA releases a statement on this matter that reads:
"ALEA has a process by which an individual who is the subject of a law enforcement recording, or that individual’s personal representative, may request disclosure of body camera or dash camera video evidence. That process has not yet been completed in this instance."
UPDATE (10/16): In an interview with FOX54's Keneisha Deas on Monday evening, Steve Perkins' family spokesperson, Dr. Brenton Lipscomb, said that he has been informed that ALEA will be supplying the family legal team with police body camera footage on Tuesday.
Monday was the deadline supporters of the family had called upon for any official release of the footage. It is not known what portions of footage will be supplied or from which officer or officers' cameras the video will be sourced from.
It is expected the footage will chronicle the moments leading up to, including, and immediately after the shooting of Perkins. It is not known if the footage will then be released publicly.
"What we'll be doing is continuing to do the work on the ground, along with other grassroots organizations to ensure there is termination of these officers," Lipscomb told FOX54. "We do see a prosecution, as well as we see policy change in the city of Decatur."
Our original reporting on Sunday's rally, where supporters continued their push for release of the footage, follows below:
As the movement for accountability and justice in the officer-involved shooting death of Steve Perkins grows, Sunday saw dozens of motorcyclists cross from Birmingham to Decatur in a continued push for answers. Perkins was shot and killed Sept. 29 following a dispute with a tow truck driver in which police intervened.
Sunday's convoy began in Birmingham and met at Ingalls Harbor just before midday; from there, motorcyclists rode to the Decatur Police Department headquarters on Lee Street.
"It's so important for people to realize that there are so many different things you can do other than ... holding a sign demanding justice," said event organizer Briona Watkins. "We all want the same thing, and that's justice for Steve."
Perkins' brother Nicholas, who was in attendance Sunday, said he is overwhelmed by the community support. "The unity, the peace," he said, "is doing my heart well. Not just me, my entire family."
It continues what has been a daily series of marches, rallies, and events asking for city officials to take substantive action. There have been calls for Mayor Tab Bowling, who this week announced he would not seek re-election in 2025, to resign immediately. District 1 City Council member Billy Jackson said at a public comment period last week that he believes the police department "has failed" in this situation.
In the more than two weeks since Perkins' death, a sentiment of frustration with the department has only grown after Chief Todd Pinion said in a written statement on Wednesday that the department gave an "inaccurate" description of the incident in the hours following the shooting.
The driver reported that Perkins flashed a gun, so officers accompanied the driver when he went back to the home. The department initially said officers ordered Perkins to drop the weapon he was carrying and that he refused to do so; Pinion said what actually happened is the officers identified themselves as “police” and ordered Perkins to “get on the ground.”
Lee Merritt, an attorney representing the Perkins family, said last week that officers did not announce their presence when they arrived on the property and opened fire within a second of telling Perkins to get on the ground. He said Perkins did not appear aware of their presence. The family has asked for charges to be filed against the officers.
"Three things don't lie: the Bible, the mirror, and the film," said Morgan County NAACP chapter president Rodney Gordon on Sunday. "The police got a motto: 'When I go to work, everybody goes home after the shift.' Well, everybody went home except the man who was at home."
Gordon added, "Somebody needs to be arrested this week."
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency investigation into the shooting is ongoing. Pinion said the department is doing its own internal investigation “into what led up to the shooting, the use of force itself, and officers’ actions afterwards to determine if there were any violations of department policy.”