VIDEO: Police body cam video released in Hodge death

Lockport, NY (WBEN) State Attorney General Tish James has released police body cam video from Niagara County Sheriff's deputies and Lockport Police officers as part of the investigation into the death of Troy Hodge.

Police had been called to Hodge's famliy home in Lockport in June 2019 after Hodge's mother Fatima noted something wasn't quite right with her son. Hodge says Troy was taking prescription muscle pills, which she gave to the officers.

A preliminary report shows the first officer that arrived on scene found Hodge not acting rationally, including talking about getting a gun. The officer did not know if there was a gun in the home, or not, and closed in to prevent Hodge from going back into the house. At that point, a physical altercation ensued and Hodge was tased.

Hodge suffered medical distress, and later died.

"Our criminal justice system is in need of significant reform to rebuild the trust between police and the communities they serve," says James. "Key to that reform is increased transparency, which is why I am proactively releasing video footage from our active investigations into police-involved killings. All of our communities deserve transparency, accountability, and justice, and I believe this is a critical step in moving us forward."