The Philadelphia Police Department confirmed Wednesday that two officers involved in the December death of Brandon Tate-Brown have been returned to street duty.
Tate-Brown, 26, was killed Dec. 15 after a traffic stop. Police said he struggled with officers and ran for a gun when he was fatally shot.
A police spokeswoman said the officers were “not cleared” yet, and were still awaiting a review of the case by the D.A.’s Office.
D.A.’s Office spokesperson Cameron Kline said he could not comment on an active investigation.
Tate-Brown’s mother, Tanya Brown-Dickerson, told Metro last week she was demanding police release surveillance footage from stores in Frankford near where Tate-Brown was killed, as well as the names of the officers involved.She also claimed Tate-Brown would never attack police officers. “If my son was wrong, they would have already told me. They would have already put video out to humiliate me and shut me up, if my son was wrong the way they say it was,” she said.
Brown-Dickerson did not respond immediately to a request for comment on today’s news.
“I don’t feel like they should be back on the street without them having released the tape or giving us the name of the cops,” said Megan Malachi, an activist and member Action Against Black Genocide, who still suspects wrongdoing in Tate-Brown’s death. “As someone who has lived in Philadelphia their entire life … I think you would be stupid to believe what the police said,” she said.
Before the announcement today, a rally was scheduled for Saturday seeking the release of video of Tate-Brown’s death, as well as a Twitter/call-in campaign next week with similar goals. Those campaigns will “step up” now, Malachi said. According to police, uniformed officers reportedly pulled over Tate-Brown around 2:45 a.m. on Dec. 15for not having the headlights of his white Dodge Charge on.
“Upon approaching the vehicle the officers observed a handgun in the center console area of the vehicle. The officers asked the male to exit the vehicle and upon exiting a struggle ensued between the male and the officers,” the police report from the original incident states. “The male forced his way back to his vehicle and attempted to retrieve the gun when one of the officers discharged his weapon striking the male once in the head.” A loaded stolen .22-caliber gun was later recovered from Tate-Brown’s car, police said.
Officers in Tate-Brown death returned to duty
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Brian Mildenberg, the lawyer representing Tate-Brown’s family, said they were “disappointed that the city has refused to date to release the videotape and other evidence surrounding this police shooting.”
“We feel that if the video is in favor of the officers, let the public see the video and show that is the case in order to provide closure to this family,” he said.
“We reserve the right, depending on what’s in the evidence, to request any higher authorities review this case,” he added.
