MINNEAPOLIS - An attorney representing the family of the manshot by Minneapolis Police earlier this month says he has video of officers shouting racial slurs as they approached the crime scene.
Michael Padden is the attorney for the parents of 22-year-old Terrance Franklin, who was shot by police on May 10th at a home he allegedly broke into in South Minneapolis after a lengthy chase by police.
Franklin allegedly was being pursued for a possible burglary attempt.
On Friday, Padden hosted a news conference where he played a video that was posted on YouTube showing officers surround the home in South Minneapolis where Franklin was shot by officers.
In that video, Padden says he can hear two officers use a racial slur.
"If something develops that shows this contention is inaccurate I will publicly apologize for that but I can tell you that we feel very confident about the words that were spoken," Padden said sitting next to the parents of Franklin.
In a statement Thursday night Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau said this: "These accusations are not only preposterous but without merit. When false allegations are made, it negatively impacts the community and damages public trust. The video in question shows both MPD and Metro Transit officers. Chief Harrington and I have viewed the video multiple times, amplifying the audio, and hear absolutely no racial epithets whatsoever. The reality is, the comments made by the responding officers were appropriate and clearly relate to aiding the injured officers with a tourniquet. At 26 seconds an officer asks for a tourniquet. This is followed by an officer saying, "I've got a tourniquet right here." An officer then responds about needing a tourniquet in the alley. This video is accessible on Youtube to the public, and we encourage people to view it for themselves. This attorney owes the Minneapolis Police Department, Metro Transit Police Department and the community a public apology."
