Protesters calling for justice in Bay Minette after officer-involved shooting
By Ariel Mallory
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BAY MINETTE, Alabama (WALA) — A peaceful protest was held outside the Baldwin County courthouse Thursday evening.
This comes almost two weeks after Otis French Jr. was killed in an officer-involved shooting.
According to investigators, French was shot by a Bay Minette police officer after French tased the officer.
However, the family feels the shooting wasn’t justified.
Dozens of protesters marched around the courthouse screaming and chanting, “No justice, no peace!”
Police say the officer pulled out a gun and fired after being tased.
The family feels that’s not the complete story.
“What lawful instructions did he not comply with that led to his death?” one speaker asked.
During the protest, city leaders were called out several times to answer those questions.
“We want to make the police chief, the mayor, and the city officials aware of our presence,” Reverend Sam White said. “I’m not afraid to call names, we want some answers.”
French’s sister, Tamara French, was in tears as she publicly spoke about her brother’s death for the first time.
“For those of you who don’t know OJ French was my brother, that was my baby brother,” French said. “He was the best of me. He was the best my parents had.”
French says this is only the beginning as they search for accountability.
“We’re going to continue to hold them accountable for the truth. We’re going to continue to hold them accountable for transparency. And we’re going to continue to hold them accountable and make them understand, they will say his name!” French said.
Friends who came out Thursday were heartbroken, but grateful to see so many people showing support.
“It make you feel good because it’s people out here that don’t even know OJ,” Jeremy Boone, a childhood friend of Otis French Jr. said. “But just the word of mouth of people getting out there and people finding out who he was and what he stood for. It’s something good for our community. We bringing our community together and it’s time to stand for something.”
Baldwin County investigators have not released any new information regarding the shooting.
The Bay Minette officer is on administrative leave, which is standard.
French’s sister Tamara said the family is not speaking to the media right now.
She did say this is the first of many actions they’ll be taking.
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