ROANOKE, Va. – The family of a Roanoke County teenager shot and killed by police in 2016 is calling on the state to act.
Dozens gathered at Washington Park in Roanoke Monday afternoon to demand more answers about the death of Kionte Spencer.
Activists called on Attorney General Mark Herring to issue an opinion to allow Kionte’s estate to see the video from when he was killed.
Kionte was shot by Roanoke County Police during an altercation in 2016. “Justice for Kionte” wants the county to release all body and dash cam video from that night. A petition supporting the demands has more than 24,000 signatures on it.
“I deserve transparency, that is a very simple demand considering my brother was murdered by the Roanoke County Police. All I’m asking is that we see the raw un-doctored video footage,” Kionte’s brother Carl Spencer said.
Roanoke Police have released stills from the dash cam video. They also allowed members of the media and government to view the full video months after the shooting.
An investigation by the Department of Justice and the Commonwealth’s Attorney in 2016 claims the police department did not violate the law.
“We need to make sure there is a system of accountability moving forward,” said 11th District Delegate Sam Rasoul.
Rasoul will be formally asking Herring to issue an opinion sometime this week. The group also wants to end qualified immunity in Virginia.
Spencer said these three demands will help bring justice and honor his brother’s legacy.
“Memorializing and grief is never easy but the weight of injustice makes this much more unbearable,” Spencer said.