Homewood Mayor Alex Wyatt is again urging the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency to allow the family of Jabari Peoples, a 19-year-old Alabama A&M student fatally shot by police last month, to view body camera footage of the incident.

“As the Mayor of Homewood, I continue to urge the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency to allow the family of Jabari Peoples to view the body camera footage from the June 23 shooting incident,” Wyatt said. “Their request is completely understandable.”

The fatal shooting took place on the night of June 23 at Homewood Soccer Park. According to police, a veteran Homewood officer approached a parked vehicle occupied by Peoples and a female companion after reportedly detecting the smell of marijuana. 

Authorities allege that Peoples resisted being handcuffed, broke free and reached for a firearm inside the vehicle, prompting the officer to shoot. Peoples was taken to UAB Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

However, the family has strongly disputed that account. Their attorneys, including Birmingham-based Leroy Maxwell and national civil rights attorney Ben Crump, maintain that Peoples was unarmed and did not resist. They say the bodycam footage, currently withheld by ALEA, is essential to determine what occurred.

Although Alabama law gives families of individuals killed in officer-involved shootings the right to request access to body camera and dashcam recordings, the law also gives law enforcement broad discretion to deny access if they believe releasing the video could interfere with an active investigation. 

That’s the position ALEA has taken thus far.

“Legally, we don’t have the authority to release the footage because ALEA has taken over the investigation and, under the law, it controls access to evidence because it is the custodian of the footage. We have made that distinction clear in our legal filings in Jefferson County Circuit Court. We know this is an incredibly difficult time for everyone involved,” said Wyatt.

In response, Maxwell acknowledged the city’s lack of authority over the video but argued Homewood can and should release other records tied to the shooting. 

“Homewood may not be the custodian of the video footage, but Homewood can release the identity of the officer, incident reports, and use of force reports as requested in our petition,” Maxwell said.

That petition, filed in Jefferson County Circuit Court, seeks to preserve evidence and identify key individuals as the family weighs filing a wrongful death and civil rights lawsuit. On Friday, Homewood responded by asking the court to dismiss the petition, again citing ALEA’s custodial control over all investigative materials.

Maxwell and Crump plan to hold a press conference on Tuesday to share findings from an independent autopsy commissioned by the family. 

“This is not just about policy,” Crump said last week. “It’s about a grieving family who deserves to know the truth.”