Community activists called the St. Paul Police Department the "deadliest in the nation" after the police shooting of on a man Monday night. The activists are also calling for the body camera video to be released immediately.
State law allows police agencies 14 days to release body camera video of officer involved shootings. But community leaders in St. Paul believe it shouldn't take that long.
The group formerly asked St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter for immediate release of body cam video of the police shooting of a man in the Midway area.
"It's hard to believe that this isn't happening on purpose," said Chantelle Allen who is with Twin Cities Black Lives Matter. "It's hard to believe that the video is not being released right away. So if you want us to trust you, if you want us to believe what you're saying, then you have to move in a way that shows us that you're trying to be honest with the community."
Some in attendance believe the longer the delay of releasing the body cam video, the more time authorities have to cover up what they don't want revealed.
40-year old Earl Bennett was shot by police near Snelling and University Avenues. Police say a man who had a gun to his head started walking around and then they say he pointed it at officers who returned fire.
"In other cases, they always say, 'well, we need time to do our investigation and this and that.' I personally think they need time to manufacture their story," activist Michelle Gross told WCCO Radio. "That's right. To manufacture their cover."
Bennett is listed in critical but stable condition.
We need that. Our community is in pain. We can no longer allow time to go by. We don't have answers," says Toshira Garraway with Communities United Against Police Brutality.