Family of Brandon Lee Cole calls for more accountability from Denver Police Department
The family of Brandon Lee Cole is calling for more accountability and changes within the Denver Police Department after he was shot and killed by an officer earlier this summer.
Video released by Denver police shows Cole approaching two officers who responded to a call for service. Police said they thought Cole had a weapon, which turned out to be a black marker.
Cole's family said he suffered from epilepsy and other medical issues and shouldn't have been shot within 46 seconds of officers arriving on the scene.
"This is a marker... this is a knife. The size is different, the length is different, the colors are different. regardless of what happened when Brandon Cole went to the car, this is a marker... and this is a knife. and we should never rush to murder or kill," said Maisha Fields with the NAACP.
His family is asking for the Denver Police Department to change how it responds to people in a medical crisis. Cole's wife and child were nearby when the shooting occurred.
The police said they were responding to a domestic violence call.
