New witness video showed Alabama officers firing multiple shots and killing a Black man his wife said was unarmed despite law enforcement’s account.
“He’s got a gun! He’s got a gun,” an officer could be heard screaming in the video of the incident that left Dana Sherrod Fletcher dead Sept. 27 in Madison.
Although authorities have refused to release official video of the encounter, the cellphone footage shared by Julian Moffet on Twitter Oct. 28 showed part of what happened.
“His name was #DanaFletcher #sayhisname,” Moffet tweeted with the video.
In the blurry 56 seconds of footage shot across the parking lot from the encounter, a Madison police car was shown blocking the parked van with one front door open and the other not visible.
“Get out of the car,” an officer could be heard shouting among other muffled commands.
It wasn’t long before officers were shouting about a gun and firing gunshots themselves.
One shot sounded immediately, and a couple seconds later a barrage of six others followed.
At least four officers could be seen in the footage.
“Goddamn, somebody’s shot,” the person recording said.
Across the parking lot, blood-curdling screams echoed.
“What are you doing?” a woman could be heard screaming and sobbing.
“Stay right there,” an officer on the scene responded.
Authorities alleged officers were investigating a suspicious person call at about 4:30 p.m. when they encountered Dana Fletcher at Planet Fitness.
The person who made the call reportedly said a man later identified as Dana Fletcher and a woman were inside the business videoing people and asking personal questions, The Birmingham News reported.
Cherelle Fletcher said in a Facebook post last Monday she had just left the gym after exercising when an officer came to the passenger’s side of her van, where her husband was.
It’s unclear what caused the situation Cherelle’s 8-year-old daughter witnessed to escalate, but the mom said the officer involved refused to address her.
“At no point did my Dana have a weapon on him,” Cherelle said.
Madison County Sheriff Kevin Turner, whose department is leading investigation into the shooting, rebutted Cherelle’s account at a public meeting with law enforcement officials Monday in Huntsville, according to The Birmingham News.
“Whether you want to believe it or not, there was a weapon involved,” Turner said.
He added that the slain man “pointed the weapon at the officer.”
The encounter and the tight-lipped response authorities have offered in it have triggered outrage in the local Alabama community.
Several hundred people showed up to the meeting to voice their frustrations, The Birmingham News reported.
One woman could be heard shouting in news video of the recent meeting:
“They don’t care cuz it ain’t y’all kid. I got young boys at home. I’m scared y’all gon’ kill mine.”
