GREENSBORO, N.C. — Greensboro Police Chief John Thompson said he will petition for the release of bodycam and dashcam footage from a crash that killed three teenagers and injured one of his officers.
"From my position, it's important for the community to have the facts," Thompson said.
The crash happened in July on Walker Avenue at 2:15 a.m. An officer noticed a car going the wrong way on a nearby street and tried to stop the driver. Police said the driver didn't stop and sped off. A chase began upon suspicion of impairment. The driver then hit one of the responding officers.
All three teenage boys in the car died. Highway Patrol said 14-year-old Kenyan Saxton-Reese was driving. The other boys in the car were 14-year-old Brandon Lenell Bowie and 15-year-old Derrion Sonjay Legrand.
Thompson said the officer is home now, but his recovery is expected to take several months.
He said there's a lot of misinformation out there about the crash, so requesting the release of the dashcam video after the Highway Patrol's investigation is complete, was important in being transparent with the community.
"It's hard for them, it's hard for the community, it's hard for the police officer involved," Thompson said.
The crash is still under investigation by the Highway Patrol, but a report released Wednesday said the teens' car was going 85 mph when they crashed. Troopers said there were no skid marks from the car, and the headlights and taillights of the vehicle were not on.
The report said the responding officer was driving at 45 mph and there were skid marks before the crash, showing the officer attempted to brake.
Thompson said a toxicology report will be part of a full autopsy done on the teens.
MORE WAYS TO GET WFMY NEWS 2
Subscribe to our daily newsletter Let’s Get 2 It!
Download the WFMY News 2 APP from your Apple or Google Play store.
ADD THE WFMY+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or search for WFMY.
Amazon Fire TV: Search for WFMY to find the free app to add to your account. You can also add the app directly to your Fire TV through your Amazon account.