The ACLU of Virginia and the Roanoke Branch of the NAACPP have urged Gov. Terry McAuliffe to order the Virginia State Police to automatically launch an independent investigation anytime law enforcement officers kill or seriously injure someone.
The call was included in a letter to the governor specifically requesting a state police Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) review of the February fatal shooting of Kionte Desean Spencer, an 18-year-old black man, by Roanoke County Police Department officers. An internal investigation by that department and the Roanoke County Commonwealth's attorney resulted in no charges against the officers.
In the Spencer case, the ACLU-VA and the Roanoke NAACP are also asking the governor to direct the BCI to include dashboard camera footage and the names of involved officers in its final report and release that report to the public.
The letter, signed by ACLU-VA Executive Director Claire Guthrie Gastañaga and Roanoke NAACP President Brenda Hale, states that the same should happen automatically for all officer-involved incidents that result in death or serious injury.
"We believe any use of deadly force, particularly use of force resulting in death, should be subject to an outside, objective investigation, and not merely a selfexamination by the department involved and the Commonwealth’s Attorney with whom it regularly works," the letter states.
