We've talked a lot in the last year about the addition of cameras in public spaces around the neighborhood. It turns out that those have become a crucial part of the investigation to find the suspects in Officer Timothy Brenton's murder, helping what otherwise would be a very low-information situation.
Chief Diaz said that SPD staff is combing through all available video from the several hours before and after Saturday night's shooting. The list of available sources is long, described in an afternoon press conference as "several terabytes" of data. It includes the footage from every police car that was patrolling the neighborhood before and after the shooting, city security cameras such as those around Garfield Community Center, red-light cameras, and even security cameras on private property.
Today Assistant Chief Pugel said that in-car video evidence "may - and I stress may - have shown the suspect vehicle." That list of available in-car video includes Officer Brenton & Sweeney's patrol vehicle, which had video installed and operating at the time of the shooting. However, police commanders have not yet confirmed whether it picked up anything that might help the investigation.
One set of cameras that won't help in this case is the newly installed traffic-monitoring cameras at 23rd & Yesler and 23rd & Jackson. SDOT spokesperson Peg Nielsen says that those aren't scheduled to be activated until next spring once the entire network of cameras is in place city-wide. And a cursory glance at the cameras today showed them to be pointing up in the air anyway.
Anyone in the area with their own video footage or any other tips or information is urged to call SPD at 206-684-5550, or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS. The reward for information leading to the capture and conviction of the suspects in this case was recently increased to $40,000.
(2 votes) (report abuse)
