CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The body camera worn by officer Wende Kerl on March 25 when 27-year-old Danquirs Franklin was shot and killed outside a Burger King on Beatties Ford road will be released Monday.
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Thursday, a Superior Court judge listened to more than an hour of arguments from petitioners, who were members of the media and lawyers, as to why or why not the video should be released.
CMPD attorneys said they had no problem with the footage being released, however they did ask for citizens faces to be redacted from the video.
They also asked for the video to be held until Monday so the Franklin family could view it first.
While private lawyers for the officers involved say it's too early to release the footage, and the petition is just a way for the media to get viewers, Councilman Braxton Winston believes the release is necessary for the community to begin to heal.
“The motives are clear. It is a race to Twitter, it’s a race to the internet. It’s a race to get clicks,” said Jeremy Smith, attorney for Kerl.
“This is not just about the media, this is not just about people and their values, this is about how we govern ourselves, how we live amongst ourselves in a community of laws and policies,” said Winston.
Judge Hoover has ordered the video to be released to the two petitioners present at noon on Monday, it will be released to the public at 2 p.m.
Councilman Winston is also hoping the community will rally behind the franklin family regardless of the outcome to help comfort his three children left behind.