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Video of Des Moines police shooting will stay confidential, state board rules

Body camera video and police reports relating to an incident where Des Moines police officers shot and killed a teenager will remain confidential, according to an Iowa Public Information Board ruling Thursday afternoon.

Video of Des Moines police shooting will stay confidential, state board rules

Body camera video and police reports relating to an incident where Des Moines police officers shot and killed a teenager will remain confidential, according to an Iowa Public Information Board ruling Thursday afternoon.

TEAM 8 FORECAST. THANK YOU, CHRIS. POLICE BODY CAMERA VIDEO THAT CAPTURED THE MOMENT OFFICERS SHOT AND KILLED A DES MOINES TEENAGER WILL NOT BE RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC. THAT WAS THE RULING THIS AFTERNOON FROM THE STATE PUBLIC INFORMATION BOARD AFTER KCCI INVESTIGATES FILED A COMPLAINT TO RELEASE THE VIDEO AND DOCUMENTS THE 16 YEAR OLD IDENTIFIED IN COURT DOCUMENTS AS TREVANTE JENKINS DIED BACK IN DECEMBER. DES MOINES POLICE SAY HE POINTED A GUN AT THEM WHILE THEY RESPONDED TO AN INCIDENT INSIDE AN APARTMENT. THE MOINES POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS RELEASED VIDEO OF POLICE SHOOTINGS AND OTHER INCIDENTS IN THE PAST, BUT THE CITY’S LEGAL DEPARTMENT DENIED KCCI RECORDS REQUEST IN THIS CASE, CITING JUVENILE JUSTICE RECORDS LAW KCCI FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE PUBLIC INFORMATION BOARD TO MAKE THE VIDEO PUBLIC, BUT THE BOARD THE VOTE THIS AFTERNOON KEEPS THE VIDEO AND THE DOCUMENTS CONFIDENTIAL. KCCI CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER JAMES STRATTON HAS BEEN WORKING FOR MONTHS TO UNCOVER NEW INFORMATION IN THIS CASE AND JAMES, YOU’VE OBTAINED A SEARCH WARRANT THAT REVEALS MORE ABOUT THE NIGHT DES MOINES POLICE SHOT AND KILLED TREVANTE JENKINS. WHAT DOES IT SHOW? AND ERIC AND STACEY, THIS SEARCH WARRANT APPLICATION LAYS IT ALL OUT. IT INCLUDES SCREENSHOTS OF OFFICERS, BODY CAMERAS, THAT SAME BODY CAMERA VIDEO THAT WE TRIED TO GET USING IOWA’S PUBLIC RECORDS LAW. DES MOINES POLICE WERE CALLED TO AN APARTMENT ON EAST MCKINLEY JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT, DECEMBER 26TH. JENKINS WAS POINTING A GUN AT HIS MOTHER’S HUSBAND, ACCORDING TO THIS APPLICATION, WHEN POLICE GOT TO THE APARTMENT, THEY FOUND JENKINS OUTSIDE. HE RAN BACK INSIDE. IT STATES THEY FOUND HIM HERE INSIDE THIS APARTMENT COMPLEX WHERE HE POINTED A GUN AT THEM SEVERAL TIMES. ACCORDING TO THAT SEARCH WARRANT, IT SAYS JENKINS TOLD POLICE HE WANTED TO DIE AND BE WITH HIS BROTHER WHO WAS SHOT AND KILLED IN ARIZONA IN ABOUT FOUR MINUTES OF DIALOG, OFFICERS GAVE ROUGHLY 75 COMMANDS TO DROP THE GUN. THE SEARCH WARRANT STATES WE’RE SEEING THESE PHOTOS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THAT SEARCH WARRANT WE OBTAINED. POLICE SAY HE HAS A GUN IN HIS HAND IN THIS PHOTO FROM BODY CAMERA VIDEO. AGAIN, THAT SAME BODY CAMERA VIDEO THAT WE TRIED TO OBTAIN. IT SAYS JENKINS EVENTUALLY RAISED THE GUN AGAIN IN THREE OFFICERS SHOT HIM SEVERAL TIMES. HE DIED FROM THAT SHOOTING ON DECEMBER 26TH. THE OFFICERS WERE CLEARED OF ANY WRONGDOING BY THE STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE. THAT SEARCH WARRANT SAYS MULTIPLE PEOPLE INDICATED JENKINS WAS ON EDGE AND EMOTIONAL SINCE HIS BROTHER’S DEATH. OFFICERS WANTED TO GET HIS APPLE ICLOUD ACCOUNT TO SEE WHAT HIS STATE OF MIND WAS USING VIDEO AND TEXT FROM HIS PHONE. SEPARATE COURT FILINGS SHOW JENKINS ESTATE HIRED WRONGFUL DEATH ATTORNEYS AND INTENDS TO FILE A WRONGFUL DEATH LAWSUIT. TH
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Video of Des Moines police shooting will stay confidential, state board rules

Body camera video and police reports relating to an incident where Des Moines police officers shot and killed a teenager will remain confidential, according to an Iowa Public Information Board ruling Thursday afternoon.

Body camera video and police reports relating to an incident where Des Moines police officers shot and killed a teenager will remain confidential, according to an Iowa Public Information Board ruling Thursday afternoon. Des Moines police previously denied a records request from KCCI Investigates back in February. Des Moines city attorneys cited Iowa juvenile justice law section 232.149, which relates to keeping records of a juvenile justice agency confidential. KCCI Investigates filed a complaint with the Iowa Public Information Board, which tabled a decision back in March. Tuesday, board members voted to dismiss the complaint at the recommendation of Executive Director Erika Eckley, citing the juvenile justice records law. “The City appreciates the Iowa Public Information Board’s thoughtful decision affirming the City’s denial of Mr. Stratton’s request based on the confidentiality required under Iowa state statutes," City Manager Scott Sanders said in a statement to KCCI Investigates. "Mr. Stratton’s remedy lies with requesting the legislature to change state statute.”Des Moines police officers shot and killed 16-year-old Trevontay Jenkins at an apartment in the 400 block of E. McKinley Avenue on the city's south side in December 2022. KCCI Investigates obtained a search warrant that describes what happened.The Iowa Attorney General's Office ruled the officers were justified in shooting the boy, identified as "T.J." in the Attorney General's opinion.The search warrant states multiple officers were called to the 400 block of E. McKinley Avenue for Jenkins pointing a gun at his mother's husband. When officers got there, Jenkins was seen running from the apartment, but ran back inside.Officers and Jenkins eventually were facing each other while Jenkins had a gun in his hand, the search warrant states, and pointed it at them multiple times. Screen grabs from officers' body camera video, the same video deemed confidential by the Iowa Public Information Board and the city, show Jenkins holding a gun in the direction of officers, the search warrant shows."While officers were speaking to Jenkins, he stated he wanted to be with his brother. Jenkins further made the statement, 'I want to die.'" The search warrant states. "...based on open-source information, Jenkins' brother (Brandon Tukes) was shot and killed in Arizona on or about November 5, 2022. In this case, a sixteen-year-0ld was charged with murder as related to Tukes' death."After roughly four minutes of dialogue and negotiation between Jenkins and the officers, officers gave roughly 75 commands to drop the gun, the search warrant states. Jenkins pointed the gun in the immediate direction of an officer and raised it a final time when three officers shot him, it states. He later died from that shooting. In a separate court filing for Jenkins' estate, the estate hired wrongful death attorneys and a filing says the estate plans to file a wrongful death lawsuit. The case is now sealed by a protective order.

Body camera video and police reports relating to an incident where Des Moines police officers shot and killed a teenager will remain confidential, according to an Iowa Public Information Board ruling Thursday afternoon.

Des Moines police previously denied a records request from KCCI Investigates back in February. Des Moines city attorneys cited Iowa juvenile justice law section 232.149, which relates to keeping records of a juvenile justice agency confidential.

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KCCI Investigates filed a complaint with the Iowa Public Information Board, which tabled a decision back in March. Tuesday, board members voted to dismiss the complaint at the recommendation of Executive Director Erika Eckley, citing the juvenile justice records law.

“The City appreciates the Iowa Public Information Board’s thoughtful decision affirming the City’s denial of Mr. Stratton’s request based on the confidentiality required under Iowa state statutes," City Manager Scott Sanders said in a statement to KCCI Investigates. "Mr. Stratton’s remedy lies with requesting the legislature to change state statute.”

Des Moines police officers shot and killed 16-year-old Trevontay Jenkins at an apartment in the 400 block of E. McKinley Avenue on the city's south side in December 2022. KCCI Investigates obtained a search warrant that describes what happened.

The Iowa Attorney General's Office ruled the officers were justified in shooting the boy, identified as "T.J." in the Attorney General's opinion.

The search warrant states multiple officers were called to the 400 block of E. McKinley Avenue for Jenkins pointing a gun at his mother's husband. When officers got there, Jenkins was seen running from the apartment, but ran back inside.

Officers and Jenkins eventually were facing each other while Jenkins had a gun in his hand, the search warrant states, and pointed it at them multiple times.

Screen grabs from officers' body camera video, the same video deemed confidential by the Iowa Public Information Board and the city, show Jenkins holding a gun in the direction of officers, the search warrant shows.

"While officers were speaking to Jenkins, he stated he wanted to be with his [deceased] brother. Jenkins further made the statement, 'I want to die.'" The search warrant states. "...based on open-source information, Jenkins' brother (Brandon Tukes) was shot and killed in Arizona on or about November 5, 2022. In this case, a sixteen-year-0ld was charged with murder as related to Tukes' death."

After roughly four minutes of dialogue and negotiation between Jenkins and the officers, officers gave roughly 75 commands to drop the gun, the search warrant states. Jenkins pointed the gun in the immediate direction of an officer and raised it a final time when three officers shot him, it states. He later died from that shooting.

In a separate court filing for Jenkins' estate, the estate hired wrongful death attorneys and a filing says the estate plans to file a wrongful death lawsuit. The case is now sealed by a protective order.