CHARLOTTE, N.C. — CMPD Chief Kerr Putney said we don't know if the March shooting of Danquirs Franklin was justified or not.
Two investigations just started, administrative and criminal, as is standard procedure.
Chief Putney held his first of two community conversations this week in response to the release of body camera footage showing last month’s deadly police shooting of 27-year-old Danquirs Franklin.
Chief Putney and his department faced great criticism throughout the hour-and-a-half long meeting inside the East Stonewall AME Zion Church.
“When can a person in that situation make the right movement that won’t get them killed?” one person asked.
And there were some that came to police officers defense.
“How many of you would take the job that these police officers got? That’s my question," another said.
Chief Putney acknowledged more work needs to be done.
But he praised the department for strides it’s made in implicit bias training, crisis intervention, and tactical policy changes.
Chief Putney also pointed to 600,000 police encounters in 2018, he said 17 ended fatally.
The chief did not speak to the officer’s actions in the recent shooting because it remains under investigation.
“I’m not going to play this out in the court of public opinion," Chief Putney said. "I’m going to stick to fact-finding and seek justice because all of our community deserves no less. And the officers don’t either. Their families are devastated too we don’t know how this is going to go."
For those who weren't able to attend Tuesday's meeting, there was one planned for Wednesday. Chief Putney will hold a meeting at Little Rock AME Zion Church from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday.
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