HOUSTON – The family of 18-year-old Davion Edison watched the body camera footage of his December 2019 shooting Monday and said they believed the shooting was justified.
In a press conference with activist Quanell X, family members said they wanted the body camera footage of the fatal shooting to be released to the public.
On Dec. 30, 2019, 18-year-old was killed in an officer-involved shooting after Houston police said Edison fired a round at officers following a chase that started in Pasadena.
RELATED: Police department policies vary when it comes to releasing body camera video
In the wake of the death of another Houston native, George Floyd, Quanell X demanded police departments release body camera footage of officer-involved shootings. Last week, Edison’s family called for more transparency from Houston police and asked to see the footage of his death.
Monday, Edison’s family was shown footage of the shooting from three angles including body cams and a sky view. After reviewing the footage, Quanell X and Edison’s family held a press conference.
They admitted that there was a cause for officers to fire shots at Edison and that police did nothing wrong. The activist said that he and the family did not know that Edison had a gun and drew the weapon on police officers before he was shot and killed.
“Don’t give them an excuse to shoot you," Quanell X said. “We don’t know what was going through young brother’s mind at the time, 18 years old, made a bad decision, but I’m hoping and I’m praying, that when you see the video, mothers, fathers please, sit down and use this video as an educational teaching tool for the young men of our community.”
He asked for the black community to deal with police in a courtroom and not in the streets if they have a problem with how they’re being handled. He said HPD and Pasadena police were involved in the shooting. He said he and Edison’s family felt the Pasadena officers fired too many times during the incident and used excessive deadly force when Edison was already down.
“From what I witnessed, HPD, they did fire, but not like the Pasadena Police Department did,” Quanell X said. “It’s like they had a good time firing shots.”
Watch the press conference below:
