Chief addresses community concerns in wake of shooting
Use of force, body cameras and policing in subsidized housing discussed at meeting
ASHEVILLE – Police Chief Tammy Hooper responded to community concerns Wednesday in the wake of an officer involved shooting that left a black man dead.
Hooper spoke to residents at the Citizens Police Advisory Committee meeting.
Often called CPAC, the group serves as a liaison between police and the community. It includes representatives from city council, the Housing Authority, the police and the general public. The chief of police is a nonvoting member.
“We can always improve how we handle situations," Hooper told the packed conference room. "The facts are what they are, but we can always improve.”
Jai “Jerry” Williams, 35, was shot and killed Saturday evening, following a police chase from Pisgah View Apartments to Deaverview Apartments. The two subsidized housing communities are about 3 miles apart.
Authorities have said Williams was armed with an AR-15 rifle and posed a threat to officers. During the pursuit, police said they saw "what appeared to be a female struggling in the vehicle and attempting to get out.” Williams was the only one injured at the scene.
Witnesses have questioned whether the police’s use of lethal force was necessary. Some say Williams never pointed his gun at officers. Others dispute he had a weapon at all. Photos from the crime scene show Williams’ body next to what appears to be a black rifle.
The officer involved in the shooting, Sgt. Tyler Radford, has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the investigation.
At the time of the incident, Asheville police officers were not equipped with body cameras and Radford’s patrol car did not have an in-car camera.
Days after the July 2 shooting, city officials, including the mayor, activists and residents of subsidized housing gathered at the Asheville Police Department downtown for the CPAC meeting. Many youth came to express their distrust of police.
"We shouldn't have to fear anyone in this world," said Kynasia Robinson, a 15-year-old Asheville High School student who lives in the Burton Street neighborhood. “We all bleed the same. We all have the same color blood."
"You all are supposed to protect us, not kill us," she said.
Residents and committee members had questions about the APD's use of lethal force. They wanted to know about body cameras and why police statements about the gun allegedly in Williams' possession were vague.
They questioned how the department shows compassion in times of tragedy and what police officers do to support family members of victims of violence.
They asked city officials to do more to protect black men who are dying at the hands of police.
There is a grieving community, said the Rev. Amy Cantrell, who runs BeLoved House, a homeless support and transitional living facility near downtown. People have racial bias and that can be played out in horrific ways, she said.
Paul Howell, who now lives in Burlington but grew up in Asheville, wanted to know how many police officers had been killed by black men in the last 10 years as compared with white men.
"What justifies the fear?" he asked. "There is too much excessive force against us."
APD's policy on use of force has abundant information on when officers can use lethal means, but it lacks information about what happens after someone is dead, said activist Jonathan Robert.
"There is no protocol about sending out grief teams and social workers into the affected community," he said.
Hooper explained that the Williams’ investigation was being done by the State Bureau of Investigation. She said the Asheville Police Department will review its own internal practices, including its use of force policy, and make changes as needed.
APD has made multiple statements to the public and is taking meetings with community organizations, Hooper said. "We are trying to do the best we can," she said.
The Asheville Police Department began piloting its body camera program in subsidized housing communities July 4, just days after Williams was shot.
Hooper said the cameras were purchased in March, but a high volume of orders from law-enforcement agencies around the nation caused a delay from the manufacturer.
"I assure you that I personally wish that we had already had them issued prior to this or any other serious incidents that have occurred," she said.
In the wake of the controversy surrounding Williams' death, a group of about 25 also came together Wednesday to pray to stop the violence. The vigil at Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church was organized by the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of Asheville and Buncombe County.
Members of the group said they had met with the police chief and were encouraged by her promises for transparency and policy review, said minister James Lee with the St. John Baptist Church in Arden.
As the faith community stood in a circle holding hands, they said a city cannot stand divided.
The Rev. L.C. Ray of the Western North Carolina Baptist Fellowship Church closed the vigil in prayer. Members of Williams' family attend his congregation. "We have to pray for each other," he said.
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