Titusville police to release body camera video in fatal shooting of man

James Lowery, 40, was fatally shot in December by Officer Joshua Payne, one of several officers who responded to a 911 call reporting that a man was attacking a woman along South Deleon Avenue, police said. James Lowery, 40, was shot and killed by a Titusville police officer after a physical altercation Sunday night, according to investigators Body camera video of police responding to a 911 call in Titusville that led to the fatal shooting of a man will be released Thursday by the department. The department said police will hold a news conference Thursday about the body camera video. The man’s family retained well-known civil rights attorney Ben Crump after Lowery’s death. “(When we got involved with this case) it was clear to us that a shot to the back of the head, nothing else needs to be said,” Crump said during a news conference earlier this month. “That is unjustified. That is unjustified. You can’t justify shooting a man in the back of the head as he’s running away from you. You’re no threat, running away from an officer.” Payne claimed Lowery looked similar to the suspect — though it was later determined Lowery was not even involved — and the officer attempted to question him, according to the Brevard-Seminole State Attorney’s Office. When Lowery ran away, Payne tried to stop him by using his Taser, but it was ineffective, the state attorney said.Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump and the family of a man who was shot and killed by a Titusville police officer spoke Friday, demanding to see the body camera video of the shooting days after the officer was arrested. Lowery managed to climb a fence, at which point Payne grabbed his gun and tried to climb the fence while also holding his Taser, the release said. The officer fired a single shot in the process, which killed Lowery, records show. Crump called on the state attorney during the news conference to release the body camera video from the shooting. “We still haven’t seen the video. They had that video Day 1, but it took almost six months for them to finally bring charges against this officer,” he said. The state attorney announced Payne faces a manslaughter charge in Lowery’s death. This article first appeared on ClickOrlando.com