A district attorney said Wednesday that an Alabama police officer who fatally shot a teenager in the back was justified in his use of deadly force because the youth grabbed a gun after struggling with the officer.
But the teen’s family questioned that conclusion and said they have many unanswered questions about what had happened.
Jefferson County District Attorney Dany Carr announced that no charges will be brought against the officer who shot and killed Jabari Peoples, 18. Peoples was shot on June 23 by a police officer in a parking lot in Homewood, an affluent suburb near the city of Birmingham.
Peoples and a friend had been parked in the parking lot. Carr said an officer had approached the car at about 9:30 p.m. and attempted to detain Peoples because of suspected marijuana in the car. The officer attempted to put handcuffs on Mr. Peoples “for officer safety” after noticing a gun in the car door but a struggle ensued, Carr wrote. He said Peoples then ran back to his vehicle and grabbed a gun.
“At the time of the shooting, Mr. Peoples had the gun in his right hand and the officer fired one shot, hitting Mr. Peoples in the left side of the back causing injury that ultimately caused his death,” Carr wrote in a statement.
Carr made the announcement immediately after showing the family body camera footage of the shooting. The footage has not been released to the public.
But a family member said they were only shown a short clip that was hard to see and want additional information.
“I have so many unanswered questions, still. Today, what I saw on this video, my brother was afraid. He was scared. He was running for his life,” Angel Smith, People’s sister, said.
Smith said her brother could be heard saying, “Sir, I promise I’m not trying to resist.”
Ben Crump, an attorney representing the family, said they want full transparency. He said the police department should release all of the available video.
“We want exactly what you would want if this was your son that was shot in the back running away from the police,” Crump said.
Homewood Police Chief Tim Ross did not immediately return an email seeking comment.
Groups have staged regular protests in Homewood since the shooting, criticizing the police department’s refusal to show the video to family members.
Carr made the decision to show the video to family members after the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency turned its findings over to his office.
Peoples was a 2024 graduate of Aliceville High School in the city of the same name, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of Homewood.
