Last week a Superior Court Judge ordered the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department to release footage of an officer-involved shooting that resulted in the death of a man. Rueben Galindo called 911 the evening of September 6th, and alerted police he had a gun with no bullets. Footage from that night is expected to be made public Friday.
Two petitions were filed requesting the release of CMPD footage from the night Rueben Galindo was shot and killed. The first was from local activist Robert Dawkins with the group Action NC. The second was filed several days later by Doug Miller, an editor for the Charlotte Observer.
The release of the footage marks the first time a judge granted the release of footage from an officer-involved shooting under a new public records law…while the district attorney is still conducting a review of the case.
CMPD maintains Galindo refused to drop his gun and officers felt a threat. While 911 tape has been released and offers some perspective, Dawkins says there are still many questions as to what happened.
Dawkins says Action NC has been in touch with Galindo’s family and neighbors, some of whom feel there is a different version of the story than CMPD’s. Hopefully, he says, the video will clarify some things.
"We believe that all video encounters between police and citizens should be public record," Dawkins said. "Anytime we believe that we stand chance of getting that video out for the public to see, we are going to use that as an opportunity to push for transparency."
CMPD has supported the release of the video.
