Benbrook police shooting: Family of victim calling for release of video
BENBROOK, Texas - The family of a man killed last week by Benbrook Police say they want to see the video of the shooting.
The Department of Public Safety says Kenneth Woods had a gun, but family say they never knew him to have a weapon.
Keiyana Hamilton says Woods, her fiancé, called 911 because he needed help on July 24.
"He asked for help. That's all. He wanted was some help," said Hamilton.
Benbrook police responded to their Sagamore Apartments unit and the 36-year-old lost his life.
"We want to be able to see and hear what happened," said Hamilton.
Hamilton, Woods' mother, and their attorneys say they don't believe they're getting the whole truth.
A statement from the Department of Public Safety says "at approximately 11:48 a.m., the Benbrook Police Department responded to a 911 call in the 5600 block of Bellaire Drive South. A female caller stated she was in an apartment with several young children and her adult son, who was refusing to allow her and the children to leave the apartment."
Bernadette Williams, Woods' mother, was too emotional to talk on Thursday.
Her attorney says Woods made the 911 call, but that she spoke with the call taker briefly about her son's state of mind.
Keiyana Hamilton has two children by Woods and says she is pregnant with a third. She was one of those in the apartment, but did not see what happened.
"I just heard them come in the door. I heard gunfire, I heard a lot of banging and then silence and then more gun shots," she said.
In a statement in the days following the incident, investigators with the Department of Public Safety wrote, "while officers were on scene, multiple gunshots were fired by Woods inside the apartment. Woods, armed with a handgun, jumped from a second-floor window. Once outside, officers gave commands for Woods to remove his hands from the handgun. Woods did not comply, and officers used deadly force."
Hamilton says she has never seen Woods with a gun, nor had any knowledge of him owning a weapon.
The family and their attorneys say they've repeatedly requested DPS show them the video. That hasn't happened, with DPS citing the ongoing investigation.
"They know enough to release a narrative to the media. They know enough to say that he had a gun, however they have not shown that to us. They've not allowed us to see it," said Dimitri Dube, one of the family's lawyers.
"We just want answers. Any family in this situation would want to know what happened to their loved one," said Larry Taylor who is also representing the family.
The autopsy that was done will take weeks before toxicology tests come back.
DPS says the investigation is ongoing and no further information will be released.