Public Ruler Prefers to Keep 'It’s Video' of Gregory Edwards a Public Secret: Black Vet Tased, Kneed/Struck in the head, Sprayed w/chemicals & Strapped into chair w/Spit Mask, Murdered by Cops
IF THEY EXCLUSIVELY CONTROL POSSESSION, RELEASE AND USE OF THE VIDEO THEN IT BELONGS TO THEM, NOT THE PUBLIC. A still image from surveillance video show Gregory Lloyd Edwards as he is transported in the back of a police car. The 38-year-old veteran got into a confrontation with a deputy during his booking process on Dec. 9, 2018, and Edwards was beaten, kneed, sprayed with a chemical agent, shocked with a stun gun, handcuffed and strapped into a restraint chair with a spit hood covering his face. The decorated Army medic died the next day at a hospital.
From [HERE] The Brevard County Chapter of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (FACDL) issued a list of necessary criminal justice reforms to end bad police practices in our own communities. The list included a demand for Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey continues to release the Brevard County Jail tape of combat veteran Gregory Edwards.
Edwards was arrested on Dec. 9, 2018, outside a Walmart in Palm Bay while experiencing combat-related PTSD. The next day, he was dead at a hospital following an altercation with deputies during his booking at the jail. Internal jail cameras recorded the incident. The sheriff's own investigation concluded Edwards suffered multiple stun gun shots, and was kneed, struck in the head, sprayed with chemicals, covered with a spit mask, and strapped into a chair before being left alone.
Kathleen Edwards, Edwards’s widow, has begged for release of the tape and her cause has garnered massive support from the community who chant, “Release the tape!” State Attorney Phil Archer cleared corrections deputies of any criminal wrongdoing in July 2019. Nevertheless, the State Attorney’s Office indicated that Ivey possesses the discretion to release the tape.
Ivey claims state law supports his refusal and cites security concerns if the inner workings of the jail are exposed. Nevertheless, Ivey allows jail tours and videos of inmates allegedly committing crimes are regularly disclosed in the ordinary discovery process. Video redaction practices can be used to eliminate any privacy concerns. Brevard FACDL calls on Ivey to release the video and for an independent investigation into the death of Edwards.