‘This needs to stop, we have to do better:’ Community members call for police transparency after Colorado Springs mall shooting

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - Just over three weeks ago, officers say they found 19-year-old Brandon Harris, who had a felony warrant, in a stolen vehicle near the Citadel Mall.

Released body camera footage shows Harris running into the Burlington Coat Factory before reportedly shooting himself. That shooting is now in question by the Colorado Springs People’s Coalition.

Family and community members came together this afternoon, asking for transparency.

On the steps of City Hall, the protest voiced a united frustration and sadness for the alleged injustice from the Colorado Springs Police Department and the eventual death of Harris.

One event participator said as a mother herself, this breaks her heart.

“This needs to stop,” protest participant Melissa Hall said. “We have to do better. There are a lot of things that need to happen. But I mean, it is horrible. One of the most horrible things is to talk to a mama who has lost a child. Or had a child murdered for no reason.”

The coalition is calling for several actions from the Colorado Springs Police Department. The first was the release of unedited body cam footage. The second request calls for CSPD to fire all officers involved in the shooting and for an independent investigation into the shooting of Brandon Harris.

“He’s a teenager, for one,” shooting witness Simone Natasha Hunter said. “They were hunting him. They were not trying to catch him.”

The event organizer told 11 News CSPD is not being completely honest.

“The power will always be succeeded to the people; you know people will also have the power. So you know they answer to us and not the other way around,” event organizer Brandon Rancun said.

CSPD released clips from their body cameras earlier this month.

According to department policy, El Paso County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the shooting. They say they are looking into it as a suicide and will not comment on ongoing investigations.

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