UNION COUNTY, N.C. — The family of a Union County man who was killed by a deputy during a traffic stop in March, speaking to reporters at a Friday news conference, said they are demanding answers from the police. They also released a new video showing the moments leading to the incident.
Malcolm Trieste Staton, 29, was shot and killed in the parking lot of the Sunny Food Mart in Monroe by a Union County deputy, according to officials. Police said Staton used his car to hit three patrol vehicles while trying to flee the scene.
Law enforcement officials said a deputy fired his weapon during the incident. The family said Staton was shot in the back of the head.
The sheriff's office said officers were conducting a drug investigation when shots were fired.
Shean Williams, an attorney representing Staton's family, said Staton was trying to drive around the patrol cars when he was shot. In a statement, Williams called the shooting "incredibly reckless." Staton's girlfriend and three of his children - aged 1, 2 and 4 - were in the car at the time.
The video released Friday does not show the shooting. It shows a moment where Staton's vehicle and a law enforcement vehicle appear to make contact but it does not show any other collisions.
"I simply want answers. I want to know why you did what you did to my child. I want to know," J'On Staton said Friday. "This is something no mother should have to go through. No mother. I can't even put it into words the pain, the lack of sleep, the lack of appetite. Just your mind going in a million different directions. Why did this happen to my child?"
"I just want answers, and I want them now. My grandkids deserve these answers."
Williams said the attorneys from the Cochran Firm are conducting their own investigation into the incident. Earlier this month, Staton's family held a protest in Monroe demanding justice for his killing.
"What happened — was murder," Ne Ne Blakeney, one of Staton's family members, said. "They attacked a man, they surrounded a man ... they shot a man who was unarmed, no drugs, who was in the car with his kids and family."
The Union County Sheriff's Office issued a statement following the protest saying the investigation was being led by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. An SBI spokesperson said the investigation is still ongoing at the time, and once it concludes, the DA will decide if charges should be filed.
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