West Virginia's chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has requested information surrounding the death of a 23-year-old African-American man who was shot and killed by Weirton police on May 6.
Ronald Williams Jr. was pointing a gun at officers when he was shot in the back of the head outside his ex-girlfriend's house, according to a report written by a State Police trooper who investigated the shooting.
Attorneys with the ACLU filed Freedom of Information Act requests last week with both Weirton police and State Police.
The ACLU's interim Executive Director Jeff Martin said Friday that attorneys with the ACLU want to review whether policies and procedures were being followed by Weirton police at the time of the shooting.
Documents and other information might also help provide insight on how State Police Sgt. R.J. Gibson determined after his initial investigation that the shooting was justified.
"We want to ensure that police forces around the state are following set procedures," Martin said.
Williams, who went by the nickname "RJ" was from McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania.
Wayne lawyer Jack Dolance, who was hired by the Williams family, has said Gibson's report attempts to cast Williams in a bad light.
Dolance has also criticized Gibson and Hancock County Prosecutor Jim Davis for refusing to release the name of the officer who shot Williams. "Officer 3," as Gibson only identifies him in the report, fired his gun and missed three times before shooting Williams.
The names of two other officers at the scene at the time Williams was shot are also being withheld. Gibson and Davis couldn't be reached Friday for comment. The ACLU advocates for transparency, said Martin about releasing the officer's names. He added, though, that he can understand being hesitant, for safety concerns.
The FOIA requests, authored by head state ACLU lawyer, Jamie Lynn Crofts, ask for, among other things, all surveillance footage near the area where Williams was killed, along with any footage from police dashboard and/or body cameras; all audio recordings with 911 dispatchers during, leading up to and involving the aftermath of the shooting, and any inter-office communication between department members and/or third parties concerning Williams.
None of the dashboard cameras in the three police cruisers at the scene were recording at the time of the shooting. Gibson's report states that's because none of the officers had activated the flashing lights on their vehicles, which begins a recording.
Reach Kate White at kate.white@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1723 or follow @KateLWhite on Twitter.