What really happened before Kansas City police shot Leonna Hale? Release the whole video
Days after Kansas City police shot Leonna Hale in a Family Dollar parking lot, we learned the 26-year-old woman was allegedly armed, according to charges filed against her by Jackson County prosecutors.
This week, to address rumors that Hale was unarmed, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker released a photo showing Hale holding a gun. But did the image taken from a Kansas City Police Department officer’s body-worn camera quiet the community uproar that has followed this case? Hardly.
Almost immediately, proponents for police accountability questioned the veracity of the photo. One of Hale’s ankles appears to be missing and one of her wrists looks distorted, community activists claimed.
The activists, including religious leaders, demanded that Baker release the full video to help address skepticism and provide transparency in the investigation, a reasonable request.
Mayor Quinton Lucas, a member of the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners, watched police body cam footage of the incident and called for release of the full video.
Before the accusations against Hale became a criminal case, Baker’s office allowed a group of clergy and community leaders to view footage as well. The photo was not doctored or altered, a spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office said. Still images from moving video can be misleading, and the compressed, low-resolution quality of digital files from small cameras like those officers wear can produce misleading visual artifacts, like that supposedly missing ankle.
This case, which quickly gained national attention, has been muddied by a spread of misinformation due to local authorities’ doling out updates in dribs and drabs.
Hale is not pregnant, the Rev. Timothy Hayes, pastor of the 24-hour Faith Training Center, told The Star, contradicting a witness’ claim that spread quickly after the shooting.
On Saturday, an eyewitness told a Star reporter she heard Hale tell officers she was pregnant and couldn’t comply with police orders to get on the ground. The witness recounted a similar version of what she saw to a member of our editorial board.
Hale was shot multiple times. She faces charges of one count each of unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful use of a weapon and resisting arrest. As in any criminal proceeding, Hale is afforded due process and her right to a fair trial must be preserved.
Releasing footage of what led to Hale’s shooting would provide another level of transparency needed in this case. It should be done as quickly as possible to build community trust.
This story was originally published June 3, 2022 at 1:00 PM.