PAC Review of Witness Statements and Video

PAC review of video surveillance and witness statements in the Brandon TateBrown shooting
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kelvyn Anderson, Executive Director, Police Advisory Commission
215-685-0882/215-432-7834 (cell) kelvyn.anderson@phila.gov
(UPDATED February 27, 2015) Today Philadelphia Police allowed PAC Executive Director Kelvyn Anderson
and other community leaders to view surveillance video and witness statements from the December 15, 2014
shooting of Brandon Tate-Brown.
I want to stress that the Commission has reached no formal conclusions or judgment with regard to this
incident, which is still an open investigation by the police and the District Attorneys office said Anderson.
But we feel strongly that given the concerns of the Tate-Brown family and the public at large, we have a
responsibility to view the video and witness statements at this stage to help ensure the integrity of the process,
and contribute to an informed public discussion of this and other officer-involved shootings.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------TO: Commissioners & Staff
FROM: Kelvyn Anderson, Executive Director
I spent two hours this morning reviewing the video and redacted witness statements in connection with the
Brandon Tate-Brown shooting, at the request of Police Commissioner Ramsey.
There are three videos from surveillance cameras near the scene. None of the videos offer a clear view of the
stop and the interactions between the officers and Mr. Tate-Brown. Viewed without the benefit of witness
statements, the videos simply raise more questions than they add to our knowledge of the incident.
One of the three videos shows part of the initial stop. As the vehicle is pulled over, the front lights on the white
charger driven by Tate-Brown are very dim and there is no illumination spread on the ground in front of the
vehicle, as with the vehicle that passed by just ahead of it. Its not clear if the vehicle is operating on daytime
running lights, or if the recessed design of the front grille impacts how the light hits the pavement.
In the second and most significant video, the view is from the rear facing down toward street level. The vehicles
are obstructed by a one-way sign, and the flashing police cruiser lights. Several minutes pass. Mr. Tate-Brown
appears for a second or two, twice, in the top of the video frame. Once on the passenger side, where his head
and upper torso are visible, and once again on the drivers side where there appears to be a struggle with one of
the officers.
The third video shows only the glow of lights from the police vehicle and offers no useful information about the
physical interactions between Mr. Tate-Brown and the officers.
I reviewed four witness statements, plus one from an emergency responder and one of the officers who stopped
the vehicle. Two of the witness views are from nearby residents looking outside onto the scene, another is from
a man who rode up to the scene on a bicycle and stood watching only a few feet away on the passenger side.
The witness statements consistently describe a protracted struggle between officers and Brandon Tate-Brown,
that when viewed alongside the videos, appears to last roughly 3-4 minutes. A witness who was on the drivers
side was within earshot and describes part of the verbal exchange. The officers repeatedly ask where's the gun,
and at one point, Brown says its in the vehicle. They describe the struggle as officers fight with Brown on the
ground by the drivers side. He escapes and opens the drivers side door but is re-engaged with the officers
trying to take him into custody, he escapes a second time and runs to the passenger side towards the door, and
is then shot, according the witness statements.
I was also shown a photo from the scene of the vehicle with the gun shoved in between the console and the
passenger seat.
At this point, the police investigation is still active, and the District Attorney has not cleared the officer who
fired the shot to be interviewed. There are also results from physical evidence that have not been received,
police noted.
Several other community leaders have reviewed the same information I saw today, and I spoke briefly with the
family's attorney, whom I also urged to review the video and witness statements in tandem, with family
members, as offered by police.
The Police Department has placed no restrictions on publicly discussing what we reviewed today.
While these details add to our collective knowledge, many questions about the incident, including the initial
reason for the stop, the differences between police statements and those in the medical examiners report, remain
unclear.
The Commission continues to support the public release of final reports and findings in this and all shooting
cases involving the Philadelphia Police Department.
-----------The Police Advisory Commission is the official civilian oversight agency of the City of Philadelphia for the
Philadelphia Police Department. The general mission of the Commission is to improve the relationship between
the police department and the community.

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PAC review of video surveillance and witness statements in the Brandon TateBrown shooting

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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