Why Should Delaware Care?
A recent police shooting of a 19-year-old in northeast Wilmington has become one of the city’s highest-profile use-of-force cases in years. A Delaware Department of Justice investigation into the incident is expected to be closely watched as residents look for answers and justice.
The family of Kadir Skinner, the 19-year-old who was fatally shot by Wilmington police last month, announced Tuesday they will seek $25 million from the city in a wrongful death lawsuit.
The announcement was made during a press conference the family held with their attorneys on the same day that state and city officials released body camera footage from the night Skinner was shot.
The footage shows a chaotic 28 seconds between the moment the shooting officer leaves his vehicle to chase Skinner, before firing his weapon and handcuffing the wounded teen on the pavement of a Wilmington street. Another three-and-a-half minutes pass after Skinner was shot before officers place him into a patrol car and take him to Wilmington Hospital, where he died.
During the press conference, the family’s attorney Harry Daniels referenced that the video also shows a loose dog behind Skinner as the officer begins his pursuit.
“If they continue to shoot and kill our Black men down in the street as they’re running from a dog. If they do not want to hold those who do it accountable, then we’re gonna try to hold them accountable in their pocketbooks,” Daniels said.
The wrongful death lawsuit has not yet been filed. But the attorney said the family sent the city a notice of a claim on Thursday — a required step before the lawsuit can be filed.
Wilmington officials have said officers chased Skinner after they observed him walking out of a home and pointing a gun at a large crowd of people. The family disputes the claim. The body camera footage does not show the moments prior to the foot chase.
Chance Lynch, another attorney for the family, said during the press conference that the body camera footage sparks new questions about the city account.
“Where was this crowd that he waved a gun [at]? Why didn’t they (the city) mention the pitbull? And when he was running away from the police officer, how was he a threat to that police officer?” Lynch asked.
When reached for comment Thursday, Caroline Klinger, a spokeswoman for Mayor John Carney, said questions about previous statements made by police should be directed to the Wilmington PD.
“The details of the incident are precisely what is being evaluated through the investigation,” Klinger said.
Carney did comment on the situation in a Facebook post made before the family’s press conference Thursday. In it, he asserted that body cameras have “limitations” and that the footage from the Skinner shooting “does not capture the totality of the incident.”
The news of the family’s impending lawsuit comes after the June 24 incident sparked weeks of outcry from community members and elected officials who, until Thursday, had called on authorities to release body camera footage.
Community members have also demanded the name of the officer involved, as well as police reform at the local and state level.
Many of those demands were repeated Thursday evening during a rally and march that begin a the site of Skinner’s shooting and ended at the Wilmington Police station downtown.
Four shots fired
Two hours before the Skinner family’s press conference, the Delaware Department of Justice, city officials and Wilmington police released three body camera videos from officers on the scene the night of the shooting.
The videos show two officers near 24th and Jessup streets exiting their police cruiser before pursuing Skinner on foot.
One officer fired four gunshots while chasing Skinner. Wilmington officials have said Skinner sustained one gunshot wound to the buttocks.
The shooting officer then approaches Skinner, who is already on his knees with his hands up, pushes him to the ground, and puts a knee on his back to handcuff him. During that time, the officer tells another officer to “find the gun.”
Skinner is heard saying, “I don’t got nothing.” A crowd then begins to form in the area as Skinner repeatedly says, “I can’t breathe.”
A separate video from another responding officer shows her near the scene, stopping at a spot and reaching down. She then returns to the immediate scene as sound from her body camera turns on. The shooting officer tells her to “secure the gun.” She responds, “I have it.”
Police previously said they recovered a .45-caliber handgun with an extended magazine but did not say whether Skinner was holding it when he was shot.
The officer who fired the shot, who has yet to be identified, remains on administrative leave, according to police.
In a statement, state and city officials said the investigation into the shooting is still ongoing and noted that the officers involved will be identified once a detailed public report is issued at the end of the investigation.
