Phoenix Chief Williams To Bring In FBI On Officer-Involved Shooting Investigation

Press release from the City of Phoenix:

July 7, 2020

This is a critical time in our country and our local community is not immune from challenges. As expectations placed on police agencies evolve, we know we need to evolve with it. We are an organization committed to growing and becoming better every day. There are many aspects to this evolution. For example, increasing our transparency efforts to be more proactive in releasing video of critical incidents and seeking support from outside agencies to assist in conducting investigations into some of these incidents. I've said before and will say again that I don't fear civilian oversight or investigation of our practices from outside agencies. While I'm confident in the investigative work done by my team, I recognize the value of an unbiased outside agency in strengthening the public trust into an investigation.

With that in mind, I am announcing today that I have asked the FBI to conduct an independent civil rights review into the July 4, 2020 officer involved shooting at 56th Avenue & Glenrosa. This incident has gained wide-spread attention within our community and across the country. The Phoenix Police Department Professional Standards Bureau will conduct an internal investigation, Homicide will conduct a criminal investigation and the FBI will conduct their independent civil rights investigation. I am taking this step in the best interest of my employees, my department, and the city. I recognize this is a time of community distrust. I hope this step will allow our community to feel confident in the findings.

This incident also highlights a need in our community to release body-worn camera footage and other audio or video on critical incidents in a more timely manner. Last fall, as part of our commitment to transparency, we set a goal to release this information and video within 45 days of a critical incident. To meet the needs of our community and build trust, we will move that timeline up, releasing available body-worn video within a 10 to 14-day window. We hope this commitment to transparency will help rebuild the trust that is so essential for the safety of our community.

I support the efforts of our officers and believe in the quality work they do day after day. These are challenging times but we have never shied away from difficulty and will give our full effort and commitment as a department to strengthen the fabric of a safe and secure community.

This press release was produced by the City of Phoenix. The views expressed here are the author’s own.