Family of Cross man killed in Alabama police shooting want video released

CROSS, S.C. (WCBD) – Attorneys representing a Berkeley County man who was shot and killed by law enforcement in Alabama are calling for transparency and requesting that video footage be released to the public.

State Representative and civil rights attorney Marvin Pendarvis said Wednesday he will represent the family of Lucious Benjamin Gibbs who was killed during an incident involving the Lee County Sheriff’s Office earlier this month.

Rep. Pendarvis said he and members of the Racial Justice Network and Gibbs’ family met with the sheriff’s office on June 27 and requested that body and dash-camera footage of the incident be released.

“We demand that the Lee County Sheriff’s Office operate with transparency and release any and all video footage to the public and the family’s attorneys,” said Representative Pendarvis.

“We’re not here to point fingers at anyone,” said Dr. Candance Brewer of the Racial Justice Network. “We just want whatever happened to be disclosed in a timely fashion. Body cam videos, 911 calls, incident reports, etc.”

Gibbs was initially reported as missing through the Charleston Police Department (CPD) on June 6. Days later, deputies in Lee County, Alabama responded to reports of a drunk driver who witnesses said was seen swerving across lanes and had run off the road and into a ditch.

Responding deputies said they found Gibbs asleep behind the wheel of a truck with a rifle in the passenger’s seat.

While requesting backup, deputies claimed they saw the truck backing out of the ditch and said that Gibbs fired a shot at the deputies. The deputies returned fire and approached the truck.

Gibbs was found with a handgun in one hand and a semi-automatic shotgun with an extended magazine in the seat behind him. EMS was called after it appeared Gibbs had been struck. He died at the scene.