The family of Taylor Lowery, a man fatally shot by Topeka police, released body camera videos to dispute the police’s narrative that he was killed because he ran at them with a knife. The family obtained the footage as part of a wrongful death lawsuit filed after Lowery died at the scene with officers discharging their weapons 34 times. The lawsuit accused Topeka police of neglecting to properly train their officers in de-escalation techniques and preventing excessive force.
Despite the district attorney’s office finding the officers’ use of force reasonable, the family fought for the release of the bodycam videos. An order from a federal magistrate judge compelled the city to hand over the footage to the family, who wanted to ensure transparency and challenge the city’s version of events. The videos showed that Lowery was not threatening the officers during the encounter at his sister’s home, and only picked up a wrench at the time of the shooting, rather than a knife.
The lawsuit alleged that the officers failed to use non-lethal options such as Tasers or pepper spray, and the officers denied observing the knife until after the shooting. The case raises questions about when police are justified in using force, with the family arguing that the officers’ actions were unnecessary. The released videos depicted a chaotic and tragic chain of events leading up to Lowery’s death, shedding light on the need for accountability and transparency in law enforcement actions.
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