Suit seeks police footage in teen's shooting death

An attorney for the mother of 15- year-old Stavian Rodriguez wrote in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that the city is viol atin gs tate law by failing to release police officers' body-worn camera recordings of the boy's “firing squad ”- style shooting death.

Attorney Rand Eddy asked that an Oklahoma County judge order the city to“immediately furnish” the footage, contending the recordings are public records subject to disclosure under the Open Records Act.

The boy died Nov. 23 when he was shot by officers responding to a reported armed robbery attempt.

Eddy first sought the recordings Dec .14 in a letter written on behalf of the boy's mother, Cameo Holland.

The city, so far, has neither produced the recordings nor said in writing why it won' t, Eddy wrote. State law requires the city to provide “prompt and reasonable” access to records not otherwise exempt from disclosure, he said.

“Six weeks seems like more than enough time to provide the video given the nature of this event,” said Joey Senat, an associate professor at Oklahoma State University and an expert on public records law.

“Not even providing areas on for the delay seems like stonewalling,” he said.

The city attorney, Kenneth Jordan, had no immediate comment on the lawsuit, a city spokeswoman said.

Police officers shot the boy on a Monday night outside Okie Gas Express, 7917 S Western Ave.

The boy was suspected of an attempted armed robbery. He had been locked inside by a clerk and emerged through a drive-thru window after being ordered to come outside by police.

TV news video appeared to show Rodriguez outside the gas station, dropping a gun. The boy raises his hands, then lowers them before being shot.

“Requests of this nature are not merely administrative, they are intimately personal for the victim's family and friends,” said Andy Moore, executive director of Freedom of Information Oklahoma.

“The city of Oklahoma City and other government entities would be wise to consider such factors as they work to fulfill records requests as quickly as possible,” he said.

The boy's death was followed less than three weeks later by the killi ng of a Black man who family members said was mentally ill, prompting two days of protests over police violence shortly before Christmas.

In recent weeks, two Oklahoma City police officers have been shot in violent encounters with suspects, escaping serious injury thanks to body armor.

Eddy says in the lawsuit that state law requires law enforcement agencies to make body-worn camera recordings “available for public inspection and copying.”

Portions of recordings that identify officers who become subject to internal investigation may be withheld until the investigation is concluded. The unedited recordings then are subject to disclosure.

Senat said it seemed as though city officials have had ample time to complete any redactions.

Eddy wrote in the lawsuit that“numerous officers yelled numerous commands” at Rodriguez.

Eyewitnesses said the boy complied yet was shot “with no sufficient cause to justify the use of deadly force,” Eddy wrote.

Eddy said in a letter last Friday to various city officers, including police Chief Wade Gourley, that there had been sufficient time since his Dec. 14 request to “identify, collect and produce the records.”