TONIGHT
TONIGHT INVOLVES NEW BODY CAMERA VIDEO...
RELEASED BY THE
STATE ATTORNEY
GENERAL TODAY...
GIVING US NEW
INSIGHT INTO THE
DEATH OF A MAN IN
LOCKPORT POLICE
CUSTODY.
IT WAS LAST JUNE...
WHEN TROY HODGE
DIED DURING AN
ALTERCATION WITH
OFFICERS.
AND TONIGHT... 2 ON
YOUR SIDE'S ROB
HACKFORD DIGS
DEEPER INTO WHAT
HAPPENED.
HAPPENED.
THE
THE 5
THE 5 VIDEOS RELEASED BY THE AG'S OFFICE FRIDAY SHOW
WHAT HAPPENED
BEFORE AND AFTER
THE JUNE 2019
ALTERCATION... THE
PERSPECTIVE OF
BACKUP WHO ARRIVED
AFTER 5 OFFICERS HAD
ALREADY PINNED TROY
HODGE TO THE
DRIVEWAY OF HIS
MOTHER'S PARK
AVENUE HOME...
"TROY GROANING."
SHE HAD CALLED
POLICE EARLIER THAT
NIGHT JUST BEFORE
MIDNIGHT AND LATER
TOLD OFFICERS HER
SON WAS ACTING
ERRATIC...
"4:05:32 A.M. HE WAS
SAYING THEY WERE
COMING FOR ME THEY
WE COMING FOR ME,
THEY COMING FOR ME
SO HE AINT HIMSELF
4:05:37 "
"1:06:21 A.M. MOM
CALLED US TO TRY AND
GET HIM SOME HELP.
YOU KNOW WE WENT
THERE TO TRY AND HELP
HIM 1:06:26 A.M."
"1:06:08 A.M. YOU KNOW
HE WAS RUNNING
AROUND TALKING ABOUT
A SHOTGUN AND HE HAD
A KNIFE WITH HIM 1:06:11
A.M."
BUT IT'S FROM THIS
POINT, AROUND 1 IN
THE MORNING WHAT
HAPPENED
HAPPENED NEXT REMAINS UNCLEAR... BODY CAMERA
FOOTAGE FROM
RESPONDING OFFICERS
DOESN'T BEGIN UNTIL
3-45... ANOTHER ANGLE
AT 3-49 SHOWS HODGE
ALREADY HANDCUFFED
AND CALLING OUT...
"3:50:40 A.M. OFFICER:
TROY HERE'S WHAT'S
GOING ON MAN. I'VE
GOTTA CHECK YOU OUT.
DO YOU HAVE ANY
WEAPONS ON YOU?
TROY:
TROY: DON'T KILL ME MAN. OFFICER: NO ONE IS GONNA KILL YOU
TROY 3:50:47 A.M."
HODGE IS SEEN
STRUGGLING FOR
SEVERAL MINUTES...
UNANSWERED
REQUESTS TO STOP
LEAD TO MORE
RESTRAINT... AT 3-54...
AN OFFICER'S FOOT
PLACED ON HIS NECK
STAYS THERE FOR 1
MINUTE AND 20
SECONDS... AN OFFICER
LATER CALLING OUT...
"3:56:14 A.M. OFFICER:
TROY!? ANOTHER
OFFICER: HE'S FINE HE'S
TALKING TO HIMSELF
DIFFERENT OFFICER:
YEAH, HE'S BREATHING.
OFFICER: COME ON
TROY?! 3:56:22 A.M."
HODGE DOESN'T MOVE
FOR A FULL 3 MINUTES...
THEN THIS...
"3:59:32 A.M. HEY TROY,
TROY!?
TROY!? 3:59:34 A.M." "4:00:14 A.M. I CAN'T FIND A PULSE. HEY HE'S NOT
BREATHING. HE'S NOT
BREATHING 4:00:22 A.M."
TAKEN BY AMBULANCE
NOT RESPONSIVE ON
THE STRETCHER... HIS
MOTHER SPEAKING
WITH LAW
ENFORCEMENT
MINUTES AFTER...
"4:05:46 A.M. MOTHER:
BUT THEY SHOULDN'T
HAVE CHOCKED HIM, I'M
NOT SAYING YOU POLICE
CHOCKED HIM, BUT
SOMEBODY CHOKED MY
CHILD. 4:05:51"
THE AG'S
INVESTIGATION INTO
HODGE'S DEATH HAS
NOT ENDED... BUT FOR
HIS MOTHER'S
ATTORNEY AND
HODGE'S 16 YEAR OLD
DAUGHTER...
"ROB: NOW THAT THIS
VIDEO IS PUBLIC WHAT
WOULD YOU SAY MRS.
HODGE IS HOPING FOR
IN REGARDS TO THE
LOCKPORT POLICE
DEPARTMENT AND THE
SHERIFF'S OFFICE AS
WELL."
"JOSEPH: SHE WANTS TO
SEE CHANGE, SHE SAW
HER
HER SON
HER SON DIE IN HER DRIVEWAY...SHE DOES NOT WANT ANTOHER
MOTHER TO LOSE HER
CHILD. WHATEVER
RESOLUTION WHATEVER
THAT MAY BE WILL HAVE
TO INCLUDE CHANGES
AT THE LOCKPORT
POLICE DEPARTMENT."
POLICE DEPARTMENT."
IN
IN A
IN A STATEMENT FROM THE CITY OF LOCKPORT, THE MAYOR
CALLED THE VIDEO
RELEASE PREMATURE...
WHILE THE OFFICERS
INVOVLED HAVE BEEN
ASSIGNED TO DESK
DUTY... THEY WANT DUE
PROCESS TO PLAY OUT.
REMARKS FROM THE
NIAGARA COUNTY
SHERIFF ARE ALSO
AVAILABLE ON OUR
WEBSITE... ROB
HACKFORD CHANNEL 2
NEWS.
NEWS.
SCOTT:
SCOTT: LOCAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY BARRY COVERT JOINS US
TONIGHT... BARRY...
LETS TALK ABOUT THE
IMPORTANCE OF POLICE
RELEASING THESE
VIDEOS...
BARRY: IT'S VERY
IMPORTANT... IT SHOWS
THEY ARE BEING
TRANSPARENT ABOUT
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE
TIME OF THE EVENT...
MULTIPLE
MULTIPLE POLICE OFFICERS AND BODY CAMERAS TO SHOW US
WHAT HAPPENED WHEN
THE POLICE OFFICERS
ARRIVED... WHEN THEY
WERE CALLED BY HIS
MOTHER AND HIS
BEHAVIOR AT THE
SCENE, AND THEN WHAT
OCCURED
OCCURED AFTER WHAT APPEARED HE WAS
UNRESPONSIVE SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT THE PUBLIC
UNDERSTANDS EXACTLY
WHAT OCCURED
THROUGHOUT THE
EVENTS IN QUESTION.
SCOTT: THESE VIDEOS
CAN REALLY PLAY A
ROLE IN FUTURE
LAWSUITS DOWN THE
ROAD CORRECT?
BARRY: THEY CERTAINLY
WILL AND THE VIDEO
TAPES ARE PRETTY
CLEAR THAT HIS
MOTHER CALLED POLICE
BECAUSE OF HIS
BEHAVIOR BECAUSE SHE
THOUGHT THAT HE WAS
OVERDOSING AND WAS
SUICIDAL AND
INDICTATED TO THE
OFFICERS THAT HE WAS
ON SUBOXONE AS WELL
AND THAT HIS BEHAVIOR
WAS
WAS VERY
WAS VERY ODD THROUGHOUT THE INTERVENTION BUT THE
VIDEO TAPES WILL
SHOW FOR ANY CIVIL
JURY EXACTLY WHAT
OCCURED THROUGHOUT
THE EVENTS AND
MULTIPLE ANGLES
MULTIPLE OFFICERS HAD
THE CAMERAS SO THEIR
IS REALLY NOT A LOT OF
QUESTION NOW AS TO
WHAT OCCCURED.
SCOTT: LOCAL DEFENSE
ATTORNEY BARRY
COVERT... THANKS FOR
JOINING
JOINING US TONIGHT.