MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Add the Memphis NAACP to the list of those calling for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to be transparent in its investigation into the police shooting death of Darrius Stewart.
“We want transparency,” Memphis NAACP President Keith Norman said. “If the TBI is going to be the investigating body, we need to be able to see the documents to know if the process was conducted in a fair and just manner.”
He said he was already meeting with lawmakers prior to Friday night’s shooting about a new bill on how TBI investigations are handled.
That bill would require all deadly police shootings in the state be investigated by the TBI instead of the district attorney or police making the decision whether to hand over the case.
Memphis Police turned over the investigation to the TBI on Monday, almost three full days after the shooting occurred.
“We believe this should have taken place immediately. There should not be a need for the D.A. to trigger a phone call when an officer-involved fatal shooting occurs,” Norman said.
The NAACP said there were still plenty of questions about the shooting of Stewart, 19.
“We need to know what protocol, such as calling for assistance and back up, was followed in this particular case,” Norman said.
“If I have a tail light out on my car, you stop me for a tail light out, that doesn’t require my cousin to show his identification. What is the trigger for probable cause for such a thing to take place,” he said.
The Memphis NAACP called for citizens to remain patient as the case is investigated but to get involved by pushing lawmakers to change laws that allowed the TBI to keep certain cases sealed and secret.
“People have a right to know whether justice has worked for them or failed them,” Norman said.
He was also adamant about people judging neither the police officer nor Stewart for things that come out about them after the shooting.
He said what was important was what was known at the time of the police stop.
Norman headed to Nashville on Wednesday for more discussions on TBI changes.