Family members had the opportunity Tuesday night to speak out against the shooting of Captain Brian Babb. The Army veteran was shot and killed by Eugene Police on March 30th. More from a meeting of the Eugene Civilian Review Board.
The shooting of Brian Babb was ruled justified by the Lane County District Attorney. At their meeting last month, The Civilian Review Board agreed, since police say Babb pointed a gun at them. But board members noted many mistakes on the part of police and missed opportunities for a peaceful resolution. At the meeting Tuesday Babb's aunt Marla Smotes says she got a call from a neighbor on the night of her nephew's death. She arrived after he was shot and saw his body lying in the doorway.
Smotes: "What saddened me is at one point an officer came up to me and said, is there anything we can do for you? I said you can let me hold my nephew. I don't want him to be alone. His body lay inside that doorway inside his own home, uncovered and exposed. They never covered him up."
Several other Babb family members also spoke to the CRB panel during the public comment period. The family is pushing for legislation that will change how law enforcement deals with veterans in crisis.
