A video from a body camera has been kept a secret for over two years. The video shows a Louisiana State Police officer hitting a man 18 times with a flashlight.
It writes AP, who has gained access to the video in question.
The attack is described by the police officer as a way to gain control. According to the AP, he must have hidden the video on purpose.
– I always thought I was going to die that night. “I do not want anyone to go through that,” a crying Bowman told the Associated Press.
BEAT: Aaron Lerry Bowman shed tears in an interview he talked about when he was repeatedly beaten by a police officer. Photo: AP Photo / Rogelio V. Solis / NTB
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Unknown video
The recordings from the incident in May 2019 show, among other things, Aaron Larry Bowman lying on the ground with his hands behind his head, while he is beaten with a flashlight.
– I do not oppose. I’m not opposed, Bowman shouts.
The blows inflicted on him a broken jaw, three broken ribs, a broken wrist and a cut on the head.
That night, Bowman was stopped at a traffic control. After being physically removed from the car and beaten, he tries to explain that he has not done anything wrong.
– I’m not fighting you, you’re fighting me.
Bowman’s defense attorney, Keith Whiddon, said he was initially told there was no body video. Investigators believe that the policeman intentionally mislabeled the video, and it was thus kept hidden for over two years.
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Major investigation
Less than three weeks earlier, police officers from the same district had beaten another dark-skinned motorist. His name was Ronald Greene, and he died in police custody on a rural roadside in northeastern Louisiana.
Video of Greene’s death was also obtained by the AP and published earlier this year.
The public prosecutor is now investigating both Bowman’s and Greene’s cases, which are part of a larger investigation related to police brutality.
Police are being investigated after this evening
State police did not investigate the attack on Bowman until 536 days after it happened – even though it was captured on body camera, writes AP.
The policeman who beat Bowman is now charged with brutality against three black men. He even says that he beat Bowman to handcuff him, the news agency informs.
The policeman has not responded to AP’s inquiries.
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