LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Demands for police accountability grew during a demonstration in Jefferson Square Park on Saturday.
It comes a day after Metro Police released body camera footage showing an officer’s weapon discharging, hitting two teenagers and sending them to the hospital.
"I demand that when police either shoot someone or the gun magically goes off by itself somehow, that the body cam footage is released within 24 hours," former state representative Attica Scott said.
“The family did not get to see before they released it to the public and they think we supposed to accept anything they have to say,” Rhonda Mathies, with Breeway, said.
Monday, Kevin Trager, spokesperson with the mayor's office, said they showed the video to both families of the teens before releasing it on Friday.
The incident happened on Feb. 29 at a vacant lot on South 38th Street.
The video shows Officer Brendan Kaiser and another officer with their weapons drawn.
Metro Police said they were investigating reports of a group of teens illegally entering a detached garage.
After a few minutes, the garage door lifted, and multiple teens ran out. While Kaiser was running toward the teens and the teens were running away, you can hear Kaiser discharge one bullet.
Police believe the teens were in possession of a suspected stolen vehicle.
Grand Master Khalid Raheem, founder of the Arabian Federation Martial Arts Academy, said he doesn't understand why he didn't hear Kasier say his gun went off in the video.
One young Louisvillian said incidents like this occur because he said officers don’t know the people that they are policing.
“They want to put officers in our schools, and they want to add officers in our communities, but they’re not building relationships with us,” KeyShawn Johnson, a student at Central High School, said.
Activists also took aim at Mayor Craig Greenberg, calling on him to invest more in West Louisville.
Metro Police said they only learned of the injuries an hour later when two teens arrive at separate hospitals with conflicting stories, denying any involvement at South 38th Street.
Investigators later determined they were shot at that scene.
Metro Police said it remains a criminal and administrative investigation.
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