Community reacts to release of Heard police shooting video
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – The community is reacting to video footage released of a fatal police shooting earlier this month.
On August 11, a group of undercover Chattanooga Police Officers attempted to serve a warrant on 34-year-old Roger Heard Jr.
CPD says that interaction turned deadly as Heard was shot and killed.
Over the weekend, Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp said based on video evidence her office has reviewed, she believes the officers involved were acting in self-defense, as she says they were in a dangerous situation.
A screenshot of the camera footage released Sunday. This moment shows Heard leaving his vehicle after District Attorney Wamp said he shot at a Chattanooga Police Officer.
She said, “We complicated this a little bit too much, and I think it is because members in the community were speaking out about it before they knew the facts.”
General Wamp fervently defended the actions of Chattanooga officers Celtain Batterson, Nicholas Ayers and Christopher Dyess as she says video evidence exonerates any wrongdoing on their part.
She says Heard shot Officer Batterson before gunfire was returned.
General Wamp said, “Roger Heard shot Investigator Batterson and Investigator Batterson retreated, and of course after that, we’ve got a violent criminal that’s just shot a cop so of course the outcome was that Mr. Heard was shot multiple times. That is what happens when you shoot a law enforcement officer, and (to) the community that didn’t know that, I’m glad they now do.”
She referenced a lengthy criminal record that led to the sting operation that day against Heard.
She said he had been convicted for numerous crimes in multiple counties and had spent 78 months in prison.
Knoxville Police told us that he had two outstanding warrants there for failure to appear on previous drug charges stemming from an arrest in April 2022.
The police shooting video comes from tower cams at the Speedway gas station, and not from police body cams.
Attorney Brian Flores said, “We don’t have the audio; we don’t have any other videos from any other angles.”
General Wamp said that CPD does not require their investigators to wear body cameras.
This is one of several contentions being raised including the tactics of the arrest.
Flores said, “What was the rush? Why did they approach while he was still in his car? Why didn’t they do a felony stop, why didn’t they wait until he got out of his car? Why were they all doing this where you have all of these civilians standing there?”
The NAACP says they want to see more videos before making a further comment on the incident.
District Attorney General Wamp had a response to their concerns by stating, “I would encourage the NAACP to worry about other types of crimes that are committed in this community every single day. I don’t know what the NAACP has done here in the last 20 years, but I’d like to see them speak out when we have juvenile homicides we had in the last month.”
The NAACP responded, “I will be glad to talk to the general at any time. The local branches follow guidelines and we do work with the young people and work with the youth to help them navigate the violent society.”
