FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 24, 2021
Hall Family Media Contact:hallfamily@justiceformileshall.org
Statement Scott and Taun Hall, parents of Miles Hall, Regarding Records Release
Walnut Creek CA--- “The Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office inspector reports documenting officers' accounts of the shooting confirmed what we already knew: that the officers who shot and killed our son, Miles Hall, acted recklessly and should be criminally charged. What is additionally distressing are the officers' fantastical, distorted accounts of the incident that took Miles' life.
We are grateful that the events before, during, and after the shooting were documented via the officers' body cameras and other video footage as well as by eyewitnesses. Otherwise, the community and our family might never have had such clear evidence of the truth: that Miles posed no threat to officers as he attempted to run past them toward the safety of his home, and that the officers fired lethal weapons recklessly and with wanton disregard for his life.
We feel strongly that Miles' dual status as a young man in the throes of a mental health crisis and as a Black man made him particularly vulnerable to police violence on June 2, 2019. Miles needed care and compassion that day, but instead, he was met with lethal force.
Officers flouted their responsibility to de-escalate at the scene and turned to gunfire instead of following Walnut Creek Police Department protocols for interactions with people in a mental health crisis. Further, these officers did not follow their plan and the assignments given by the lead officer.
It has been nearly 21 months since Miles was killed. We are concerned both with the excruciatingly slow pace of the investigation and with the integrity of the original lead investigator who managed the case and oversaw the collection of inspector reports: Barry Grove.
We are aware that Mr. Grove has made racially charged statements on social media, which has undermined our faith in his ability to carry out his duties equitably and appropriately. We also understand that Mr. Grove is no longer assigned to the investigation of the police shooting of our son.
We look to the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office to ensure that a thorough, unbiased, factually accurate investigation has ensued since, and we anxiously await completion of the review.
We request that the investigation into Miles' death conclude no later than March 31, 2021. It is our fervent hope that justice will soon be served, so that in due time we may be able to focus more fully on healing and continuing to honor the life of our beloved son.”
For more information, including video of what happened on June 2, 2019, please go to www.justiceformileshall.org
