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Protests erupted when police gunned down black man in North Carolina — then they released the dash cam video
Image Source: YouTube screenshot

Protests erupted when police gunned down black man in North Carolina — then they released the dashcam video

Rumors spurred online accusations of racism against police

Protests erupted in Roxboro, North Carolina, after police shot and killed a black man on last Friday, but some of the criticism was quelled after police released the dash cam video of the incident.

Police said that they had responded to a report of a man walking with what looked like a shotgun when they encountered David Brooks Jr., 45, near a Dollar General store.

Six minutes later, the man was dead after being shot by police. Police recovered a loaded sawed-off shotgun at the scene. No police were injured in the altercation, and none of the responding officers had body cameras.

"We want justice"

A cousin of Brooks disputed the police account in a statement to WRAL-TV.

"He walked the road every day. He don't bother anybody. He don't start no trouble or nothing," he said. "He probably had one of those guns he had on his chest. It was visible. He wouldn't hurt nobody, though.

Tanillya Partridge, another cousin of Brooks, had a message for the police.

"You shoot my cousin in the street like a dog. We want justice," she said. "We are not going to stop until we get justice for David Brooks because he never hurt anybody."

Accusations of racism and other claims were leveled at the officers, often based on rumors.

"We want justice. We want honesty," Vee Monique, a protest organizer said. "We understand that the people that are in office, that are in the police department, are in cahoots, so we might have to take this over their heads, if possible."

Police later said that Brooks had only been shot once through the chest. They also said that Brooks had pointed the sawed off shotgun at them before they shot him.

Dash cam video released

On Wednesday, the police released the dash cam of the incident that protesters were demanding. That video can be seen here.

The video showed police attempting to talk to Brooks, who appeared to raise his gun and point at them. One shot can be seen striking Brooks before he falls to the ground.

Also on Wednesday, members of the Black Panthers marched to the spot where Brooks was killed by police. Brooks' brother told a WNCN reporter that he had been a "cadet" in the Black Panthers.

Vigil held after man dies in Roxboro officer-involved shootingwww.youtube.com

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