Wife of man killed in Phoenix-area officer-involved shooting moves to see video
Mar 31, 2016, 8:36 PM | Updated: Apr 1, 2016, 12:20 pm
Daniel Shaver, right, and his wife Laney. (Facebook photo)
(Facebook photo)
PHOENIX — The wife of a man killed in a Phoenix-area officer-involved shooting in January has filed a court motion to unseal the body camera video that could showcase his final moments.
Laney Sweet, the wife of Daniel Shaver, filed the motion on Thursday, objecting a judge’s earlier decision to bar the public release of the video.
A Maricopa County Superior Court judge granted a request Tuesday by prosecutors and defense attorneys to seal the video in the case against former Officer Philip Brailsford, saying it is needed to protect the trial’s integrity.
Brailsford has been charged for the second-degree murder of Shaver and has since plead not guilty. Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery said prosecutors are considering offering him a plea deal in place of trial.
In a YouTube video posted on Tuesday, Laney Sweet, Shaver’s wife, called for the release of the video tape.
Police said Brailsford allegedly shot Shaver after responding to a call of a man pointing a rifle outside of a hotel room window in Mesa, Arizona. When confronted by officers, Shaver reportedly made a move toward his waistband.
Brailsford then allegedly opened fire, hitting Shaver five times and killing him.
According to the police report, released Tuesday, Shaver plead for his life before the shooting, saying “please don’t shoot me,” sobbing and appearing panicked.
No weapons were recovered from Shaver’s body, but officers found two pellet rifles in the hotel room, which they later determined were related to his pest control job, police said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
