For over two years, #Kansas prosecutors maintained that Topeka police officers fatally shot 33-year-old Taylor Lowery in October 2022 because he charged at them with a knife, causing them to fear for their lives.
However, recently released body camera footage obtained by Lowery’s family challenges this account, revealing that Lowery was holding a wrench and was backing away from officers when they opened fire, discharging 34 rounds and inflicting 41 bullet wounds due to some bullets causing multiple injuries, Topeka-Capital Journal reports.
The footage, made public after a federal magistrate judge ordered the city to release it as part of a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Lowery’s family, shows the events leading up to the shooting in a #KwikShop parking lot. Contrary to initial police reports, the video depicts Lowery picking up a wrench and moving away from officers before being shot.
#LaRonnaLassiterSaunders, a civil rights attorney representing Lowery’s family, stated, “The family has fought for over two years for transparency to expose the false narrative that Taylor was killed because he ran at the police with a knife.”
Despite the video evidence, Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay continues to assert that the initial report is accurate.
The release of the body camera footage has sparked renewed calls for transparency and accountability within the Topeka Police Department.
