The attorney for the family of a beloved Aliceville teen fatally shot by Homewood police said the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency is putting off the family’s request to immediately view footage of the deadly shooting.

Birmingham lawyer Leroy Maxwell, who represents the family of 18-year-old Jabari Peoples, said the family asked to see any available footage on Thursday or Friday and said he has submitted all of the paperwork required by ALEA to do so.

“They denied that request,” Maxwell told AL.com Thursday. “They said they do not have a timeline at this point for us to view the footage.”

Homewood police in an earlier statement said the fatal shooting of Peoples was captured on video and said arrangements were being made for his family to watch the footage.

Since ALEA’s State Bureau of Investigation is leading the probe, all footage has been turned over to the state agency. ALEA did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Maxwell’s request on behalf of the family.

“We expected we would at least be able to have the family view the video much sooner, but they’re not allowing that to happen, which is just creating more and more mistrust,” Maxwell said.

“We’re going on the third day of him being deceased and not being allowed to see what happened.”

Peoples was a 2024 graduate of Aliceville High School who worked as a security guard at DCH Regional Medical Center.

“He loved the idea of law enforcement and wanted to work in law enforcement at some point,” Maxwell said.

“He was a student. He was beloved. He was kind. He was respectful,” Maxwell said. “There’s nothing I’ve seen to counter that narrative whatsoever.”

“He was an 18-year-old with a bright future,” he said. “He has no history whatsoever of being disrespectful to law enforcement.”

People was shot Monday night while he and a female friend were sitting inside a vehicle at Homewood Soccer Park on South Lakeshore Drive near Columbiana Road.

In a Wednesday statement, Homewood police officials said there has been a recent increase in criminal activity in and around the city’s athletic complexes and on Monday, a veteran officers spotted the vehicle in the back corner of the parking lot.

The officer approached the vehicle in his marked police cruiser and saw two occupants sitting in the vehicle. As the uniformed officer approached the vehicle, he smelled the odor of marijuana, police said in a Wednesday staqtement.

The officer ordered both occupants out of the vehicle.

When the driver – now identified as Peoples – exited the vehicle, the officer observed a handgun in the door pocket of the open driver’s side door.

The officer then attempted to handcuff Peoples to arrest him for unlawful possession of marijuana, and possible other charges, police said, “at which point Mr. Peoples began to actively resist.”

“A physical struggle ensued, at which point the officer was knocked to the ground,” according to the statement.

“Mr. Peoples broke away from the officer and retrieved the handgun from the open driver’s side door pocket, creating an immediate deadly threat to the officer.”

The officer, fearing for his safety, fired one round from his service weapon to defend himself, in accordance with Alabama state law, police said.

“Mr. Peoples fell to the ground, still gripping the handgun in his right hand,” the statement read. “The officer gave multiple verbal commands for Mr. Peoples to let go of the handgun.”

The officer then called for emergency backup as the other vehicle occupant, who had fled into the woods, began approaching the officer.

The officer instructed the other occupant to sit on the curb while he removed the handgun from Peoples’ possession. Medics were then requested to respond to the scene.

According to police, backup officers arrived within one minute and thirty-six seconds after the officer’s request for assistance and immediately began rendering medical treatment to Peoples.

While emergency aid was being rendered, the officer who fired the shot secured the other occupant in the back of his marked Homewood police unit.

Peoples was then taken by Homewood medic to UAB Hospital, where he died.

“The details surrounding this incident are clearly captured on the officer’s body worn camera, of which ALEA took possession,” the statement read. “Arrangements are being made to coordinate viewing of the video by Mr. Peoples’ family.”

Peoples’ family is demanding public release of the full police report, all available body cam and dash cam footage, identification of the officer, and a full, independent investigation.

The family said a witness told them Peoples’ was approached by an individual in an unmarked vehicle, with no lights, no sirens, and no visible identification.

That officer exited the car, tapped on the window, and told the occupants to exit.

“They followed directions,” the statement read. “Jabari complied — and within seconds, he was taken to the ground and shot.”

“We will pursue this case until the truth is fully exposed, and justice is served,” according to the family’s statement posted on Facebook, “not only for Jabari, but for every family who’s been forced to bury a loved one without answers.”

Maxwell said it’s important for the video to be released as soon as possible.

Asked if the family would accept what happened if the video backs up the police account, he said, “I think we have to look at it from all angles. We’ve got to see what led up to it, what happened.”

“Why was there a search and seizure? It’s not illegal to be parked in a parking lot,” Maxwell said. “Why were they being approached? Did the officers escalate or deescalate the situation?” I think it’s going to be more gray than black and white.”

“Obviously we want to see what’s on the video and want to see the actual situation,” he said. “There are multiple ways to interpret a video, but they need to let the video footage speak for itself because at this point, we feel it’s being hidden from us.”