N Carolina police ordered to share video of fatal shooting

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A North Carolina police department has been ordered to release video of an officer fatally shooting a man at a Burger King.

The Charlotte Observer reports a judge on Thursday ordered Charlotte-Mecklenburg police to release the video by Monday.

Police have said Officer Wende Kerl killed 27-year-old Danquirs Napoleon Franklin at the restaurant in late March. They said Kerl fired when an armed Franklin refused to drop his weapon.

WBTV-TV reporter Nick Ochsner petitioned for the video’s release, arguing that conflicting witness and police accounts created a compelling reason for release.

Assistant District Attorney Bill Bunting has argued releasing the video may impact the ongoing criminal investigation. Kerl’s attorney, Jeremy Smith, argued the release would endanger his client’s safety.