New body camera video shows moments before Alabama police fatally shot armed Black man
An Alabama judge heard conflicting testimony on Tuesday about newly released body camera video that captured the moments before a police officer fatally shot an armed Black man outside of his home.
DECATUR, Ala. — An Alabama judge heard conflicting testimony on Tuesday about newly released body camera video that captured the moments before a police officer fatally shot an armed Black man outside of his home, in a case that highlights the complex legal questions that arise after police shootings in states with “stand your ground” laws and widespread gun ownership.
Mac Marquette, 25, is charged with murder for fatally shooting Steve Perkins just before 2 a.m. on Sept. 29, 2023, while accompanying a tow-truck driver to repossess Perkins’ truck at his home in Decatur, Alabama.
The body camera video shown in court appears to confirm officers’ testimony that Perkins pointed a gun at Marquette. But the law enforcement expert who investigated the shooting says that Marquette also had the opportunity to potentially avoid a violent confrontation altogether.
Circuit court judge Charles Elliot heard arguments on Tuesday about whether Marquette should be shielded from prosecution by Alabama’s “stand your ground” law, which grants immunity from prosecution to any individual who uses deadly force as long as they are in a place they have a right to be and reasonably believe they are in danger.
Stand your ground laws have proliferated nationally after the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin in 2012, sparking debate about race, gun laws and self-defense. Upward of 30 states have some form of the law, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
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