CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - A North Carolina judge has ordered all Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department body and dash cam video to be released in connection with a deadly police shooting of a teen in 2016.
The ruling from Mecklenburg County Superior Court Judge Jesse Caldwell on Thursday grants public access to footage from the June 2 shooting of Rodney Rodriguez Smith. A new North Carolina law requires a judge’s approval to release police video.
Police spotted Smith after reports of a shooting on a bus, and a department spokesman said officers felt threatened as they approached him because he was armed. Authorities say officers fired, and Smith died at the scene. The officers, who weren’t hurt, were cleared of any wrongdoing.
CMPD said the videos would likely be posted to their website late next week.
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