Steve Perkins, a resident of Decatur, Alabama, was shot and killed by a police officer, and the incident was recorded on a home surveillance camera.
On September 29, an officer shot and killed Perkins, 39, after a tow truck driver who had come to repossess his vehicle said that Perkins had threatened him with a pistol.
According to police, Perkins, a black man, aimed a pistol at the officer, prompting the officer to fire 18 rounds, striking Perkins seven times. The incident occurred after Perkins left his residence at night while carrying a flashlight.
The tape does not confirm police and the driver’s claims that Perkins had placed a pistol on the flashlight before the shooting.
On November 4, additional video footage from a neighbor across the street surfaced, showing Perkins’ truck being hauled away callously as he struggled for his life, surrounded by bullet holes on his property.
A family representative stated that Perkins was “ambushed” by police, who only gave him a split-second to comply with orders to get on the ground before opening fire.
Susan Capps, a neighbor, handed over surveillance footage after being subpoenaed to do so by the state. Her account of their patting him down without providing first aid was contradicted by the medical attention he received from responding cops before he was taken to the hospital.
Irene Cardenas-Martinez, a spokeswoman for the Decatur Police Department, contradicts Capps’ description of what happened following the gunshot. Before doctors came, one officer assessed Perkins’ injuries with the use of a medical kit, while others bandaged his wounds and used a tourniquet on one of his legs.
Capps recalled Perkins as a “nice man” who always “looked out” for her.
Married with two teenagers, Perkins worked for J.M. Smucker, a pet food company. His loved ones defended him by saying he was a “family-oriented young black guy striving for excellence,” and they told the towing business and police were in the neighborhood “wrongfully.” They eventually got their hands on his truck, but not before he was arrested for resisting arrest.
