By Police1 Staff
SELMA, Ala. — The Selma police chief is lauding body cameras for all officers after one of his own wasn’t indicted for a 2013 shooting — thanks to footage showing the suspect charging at the officer with a hatchet.
The officer has been cleared following a State Bureau of Investigation and District Attorney investigation and a grand jury decision for the fatal shooting of 74-year-old Ananias Shaw last December.
In the body camera footage, the officer can be heard demanding Shaw to drop the weapon several times as the man rushed toward him.
Selma Police Chief William Riley told My Fox Alabama deadly force is always a last resort, but it is an officer’s duty to protect and serve, and the department’s body cams, which they call “Vid Mics,” are serving both the public and police.
“Everything goes back to making sure the police are doing what they’re supposed to be doing and show what exactly the public is doing,” Riley said. “After the Ferguson issue and other issues all over the country came up regarding police shootings and situations, they realized, hey, this little device here can save our necks.”
Riley said there are about 25 ‘vid mics’ reserved for patrol units and they would need another 30 to outfit the entire department.