TPD Releases Body Cam Footage Of Suspect Who Died In Custody

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TUSCALOOSA, AL. — In a show of transparency and accountability during a time of nationwide unrest, the Tuscaloosa Police Department made the officer body camera footage available on Saturday following the death of a suspect in police custody in the early morning hours. TPD said 31-year-old Kendrell Antron Watkins was Tased by officers after he ran naked into a Tuscaloosa intersection and became aggressive.

Watkins reportedly lost consciousness after being admitted to Northport Regional Medical Center and was pronounced dead at 2:57 a.m., roughly an hour and a half after being taken into custody. Tuscaloosa Police Chief Brent Blankley declined to comment on Watkins' criminal background and any possible history of mental illness, but did tell media that the man, while en route to the hospital, was conscious and told officers he had used Mojo — a type of synthetic marijuana.

The 43-minute length of footage, provided to Patch Saturday evening, is made up of several primary clips showing the different interactions with Watkins' family members leading up to him being Tased and taken into custody.

The man was described as violent Friday evening by family members depicted in the videos, with the initial report coming in of a possible domestic violence call at his aunt's home on Cherrystone Circle. Once on scene, officers were informed that Watkins appeared to be under the influence of drugs when he threw a bunch of food on her back porch and destroyed a glass table.

The footage verified that Watkins left the residence before officers responded to the call.

Another officer is shown later making contact with Watkins in the parking lot of a shopping center near the intersection of 15th Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, where he identified himself after initially denying his identity and saying he couldn't provide an ID. Watkins can then be seen walking away from the parking lot before that segment of the video ends without issue.

On second contact, Watkins can be seen running naked across the intersection before one officer brandishes his Taser and orders the man to go to the ground, which he refuses to do. The officer then deploys the electroshock weapon, hitting Watkins, who can be heard screaming as the engaged device rattles.

Once the officer gets him on the ground on his back, Watkins is then ordered to roll over onto his stomach, but continues to fight with the officer. As the man thrashed on the ground underneath the officer trying to handcuff him, he was told repeatedly to stop fighting and resisting.

Watkins was eventually subdued and at one point, a responding officer comments that he is unconscious before later confirming that he was still breathing.

The investigation into the incident is currently being handled by the multi-agency Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit (VCU). Citing protocol, TPD officers are barred from participating in the investigation.

Both officers involved have been placed on administrative leave, Blankley said, until the VCU concludes its investigation.

In addition to releasing the body cam footage, the department detailed the events leading up to the arrest in a lengthy press release and media avail Saturday afternoon.

"Any time an agency has someone involved, they back away and let the other agencies take over," Blankley explained at a press conference Saturday, where he was joined by District Attorney Hays Webb.

Webb's office will ultimately present the case to a Grand Jury to determine if anything criminal occurred on the part of the officers. However, Webb's tone was one of support for the two officers involved who both reportedly sustained minor injuries in the altercation.

"I can say this, I watched all the video from beginning to end and I am extremely proud of the conduct, the human decency, compassion and professionalism of those officers," he said.

Watkins' death marks the first in TPD custody since 2017, although the cause of death has not yet been released pending an autopsy and toxicology screening.

Blankley said Watkins was responsive upon arriving to the hospital in Northport and was taken there due to narcotics being involved in the arrest. Northport Regional Medical Center, where Watkins was transported, is home to the North Harbor Pavilion — an inpatient mental health treatment facility.

New details were also provided at Saturday's press conference, including the number of times the electroshock weapon was used on Watkins. Blankley said in the video, an officer can be seen firing a Taser at Watkins the first time, with one prong going in and the other one missing, which rendered the weapon ineffective.

"At that point, they Tase him a second time and he goes to the ground," the police chief said. "While they are fighting on the ground, the officer will take a Taser to try to get compliance."

At one point, Blankley was asked about the department's communication with the man's family, to which he offered his condolences.

"He’s somebody’s brother, somebody’s son," he said. "We all have family. Nobody ever wants to see anybody hurt or anybody die. We’re showing them the video. We want them to see exactly what happened. We’re being as transparent as humanly possible on this. We want everyone to know this is what happened."

He went on to say he believes the officers did what they’re training told them to do, which is to use the force necessary to avoid an escalating, hand-to-hand physical confrontation that could put the officer's safety in danger.

"People can get extremely hurt in fights, the suspect and officers, that’s why we have less lethal weapons like Tasers," he said.

From a transparency standpoint, Blankley and Webb both agreed that it was the right thing to do when releasing all of the pertinent details of the incident and body cam footage. Amid a tumultuous social climate, similar approaches are rare, the police chief pointed out, but needed to build trust with the public.

"[Police] make split-second decisions and I’m not going to question anything they did," he said. "I don’t believe you will either once you see the videos."

Blankley then highlighted the notion that the events of early Saturday morning would likely take a negative toll on the officers involved, even in the absence of any criminality or wrongdoing on their parts.

"Officers are human just like everyone else," he said. "We have emotions and police officers have to go at night and try to sleep knowing what they did was right because they did their training, but nobody wants that outcome ... They have a tough job right now and it weighs on them."

One question asked centered on the possibility of public outcry locally following the high-profile death of George Floyd in May — an event that sparked a powder keg of social demonstrations calling for criminal justice reform and racial equality, while questioning police tactics.

Webb pointed out that while any time a person dies in police custody, questions are immediately raised. But given the specific circumstances in this case, the district attorney said the mere fact someone died after being arrested should not immediately warrant public outrage until all the facts are presented.

"There are times when outrage and anger are clearly appropriate and I understand that," Webb said. "That doesn’t mean every time it happens that it's an appropriate response."