Loved ones of a man who was fatally shot by police rallied outside the Public Safety Building demanding answers Sunday.
Chants of "We fired up. We can't take it no more" and "They know the deal, Timothy Deal," were yelled in front of the police station less than 48 hours after Deal was shot dead after he allegedly stabbed an officer.
Police were on a hit-and-run call in the 600 block of North Kentucky Avenue when Deal — who was not involved in the crash — stabbed the officer, who then shot Deal, according to information released by Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon Tyner.
But family and friends don't believe the 32-year-old man would even carry a knife, much less use it against someone.
Deal's parents, Gloria Deal and Michael King, went into the Public Safety Building to meet with Police Chief Henry White and others, including police chaplain Eric McCoy.
Activist Steven Young, who helped plan the rally, also attended the meeting.
When they emerged, Deal called for everyone to call Tyner to demand answers.
Tyner's office is investigating the shooting, under Attorney General Guidelines.
"Where's the video?" they asked, calling for release of the body camera footage.
https://twitter.com/LyndaCohen/status/1010942079399284737
"The body cam footage will be released in accordance with AG Guidelines, which mandate that it is released within 20 days or upon substantial completion of the investigation," Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon Tyner said in a statement to BreakingAC. "We are at a very early juncture into this process."
Deal's sisters also called for her to be able to view her son's body.
"He belongs to us," Timothy Deal's sister, Taria King, said.
"Our Victim Witness advocate has been in contact with the family about the request to view the body," Tyner said.
Gloria Deal's sister Patrice Molley said the detective they first spoke to Friday said they could see the body, but the advocate that called them Saturday said they had to choose a funeral home first, and then his body would be sent there.
An autopsy showed he died from multiple gunshots.
The family says they were told he was shot seven times.
https://www.facebook.com/breakingAC/videos/2110121532533534/
"All I want to know is what happened," said the man's father, Michael King, later as the rally moved to the scene where his son was shot. "How did it go from Point A to Point B to Point C."
He called for a federal investigation into the shooting.
Special Blackwell said she was down the street when she heard the gunshots Friday evening. She didn't know it was her brother until the next morning.
"I saw the white van and a little girl inside," she said of the van that crashed into a pole on the street as part of the crash that first brought police to Kentucky Avenue.
AtlanticCity911 released a copy of the audio from the call that night in a tweet made during the rally. The call that included, "shots fire, officer's ok," raised more questions for those in attendance.
https://soundcloud.com/atlanticcity911/ois
