The source of dash cam and body-worn camera footage leaked of the officer-involved shooting death of Otis French, Jr. in Bay Minette released a video and a statement Saturday.
After an attorney for the French family called for a full investigation into the release of previous videos, the poster said the videos were easily accessed because federal court filings contained the website and password information to download them.
“These videos were accessed via a sharefile and password the attorneys in the federal court case either willfully or ignorantly failed to redact from a publicly filed evidence log,” the poster stated. “The file was available to anyone with public access to federal court documents.”
The poster said the videos were put on YouTube to show the public the truth.
“The videos were posted online in the spirit of transparency, given the Alabama Supreme Court's unreasonable and restrictive ruling on public access to police investigative materials including body camera footage,” the poster stated. “It is my belief the emphasis on the videos' release is misguided, and I am hopeful the conversation pivots instead to the CONTENT of the videos, and whether ALL of the officer's actions were justified and if the incident was subject to a fair and impartial criminal investigation by the Baldwin County Major Crimes Unit. There should also be an ongoing discussion about the public's right to access and review such material.”
After hearing the attorney wanted an investigation, the poster was surprised because French supporters have been calling for the release of the video since French’s Aug. 20, 2022, death.
“Finally, I am disappointed to read that attorneys who are representing the French family object to the videos' release, especially after their very own calls for transparency from the beginning,” the statement read. “Online comments about these videos appear to be overwhelmingly favorable to the victim, and I believe most people agree this case is a horrible tragedy that could have been avoided.”
The videos show the traffic stop that ended in French’s death. He was seen fighting off the officer and running from him. French eventually got control of the officer’s Taser, prompting the officer to pull his firearm and shoot French multiple times.
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