City Attorney Brad Branham, in consultation with City Manager Debra Campbell and the Asheville Police Department, is moving immediately to seek the required Court Order to release body camera footage of the arrest of Devon Whitmire. Whitmire was involved in an incident Saturday, May 13, which led to the use of force by several APD officers during his arrest.
“We believe that it is imperative for the public to have full and transparent facts surrounding this incident, and we want to facilitate that,” said City Attorney Branham. “In accordance with APD policy, all instances of use of force by an officer are reviewed. If that review reveals any potential violations of APD policy, the matter may be referred for a professional standards investigation. However, these reviews are considered confidential under North Carolina law, and are not made public in compliance with that legal restriction. In the alternative, the City of Asheville will take all reasonable steps to provide the public with access to the relevant body cam footage in order to be as open and transparent as possible with respect to these events.”
City of Asheville legal staff has reviewed the matter extensively. The relevant footage and all other evidence have been shared with the Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office. Upon review, the District Attorney has determined no probable cause exists to charge any of the officers involved in this incident or to refer it for further investigation by the SBI.