The family of 18-year-old Jabari Peoples, a Black teenager shot and killed by police, recently called upon the police department to release body camera footage of his death.
First announced by ABC News, the family is calling upon the release of the police officer’s body camera footage to dispute the version of events given by the Homewood Police Department. Per the family’s attorney, Leroy Maxwell, Jr., Peoples’ family is claiming that he was shot in the back and, according to a witness, was not carrying a weapon at the time of his death.
The police department had previously said that the officer shot at the teenager after he grabbed a gun from a car door. The two were reportedly fighting as the officer was trying to arrest Peoples for marijuana possession.
The transcription of events is “clearly captured” on body camera footage, according to the department. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency will eventually release the footage to the family as they are currently reviewing the usage of force.
The family is currently asking for immediate access to the footage.
“The truth needs to come out. The truth has to come out,” said Bron Peoples, the older brother of the teenager per ABC News. “We need the truth. We’ve got to continue to stand together so it won’t happen to anyone else’s brother, son, nephew, cousin. We got to stand together to make a change.”
The death of Peoples came on June 23, around 9:30 pm at the Homewood Soccer Complex, where the teenager and a friend were parked.
Per a social media statement released by the department, the officer reportedly smelled marijuana and attempted to arrest Peoples when the fight broke out, with a handgun being involved.
OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM THE FAMILY OF JABARI LATRELL PEOPLES
— Faye (@TheGirlFaye) June 25, 2025
On the night of June 23, 2025, at approximately 9:30 PM, our loved one, Jabari Latrell Peoples, was shot and killed by an officer affiliated with law enforcement in Homewood, Alabama, near Lakeshore Blvd.
At no point… pic.twitter.com/ZQCG3IxHTX
The 18-year-old passed away upon arrival at the hospital.
Peoples is amongst eight other people to be killed by the police in Alabama this year alone. Per Mapping Police Violence, Black people are 1.5 times more likely to be killed at the hands of the police, recording 77 deaths per 1 million people from 2013 to 2025.
In an official letter sent to Homewood’s mayor, the mayor of Aliceville, Terrence E. Windham, urged him to make all records of the event public.
“His death has sent shockwaves through our communities and raised serious concerns about the circumstances surrounding the incident. In the interest of transparency, accountability, and the public’s right to know, I respectfully urge your administration to release all available footage related to this case – including any body-cam worn camera recordings, surveillance video, and dispatch audio,” said Windham per his letter. “Making this information public is a critical step toward ensuring trust in the investigative process and demonstrating a commitment to justice and equal protection under the law.”
