PHOENIX — A few dozen people gathered in a Phoenix park demanding action against the Phoenix Police Department after the fatal shooting of 34-year-old Ali Osman last month.
Family and friends of Osman met Sunday at Eastlake Park in central Phoenix. On Sept. 24 Osman was shot and killed by Phoenix police officers for reportedly throwing rocks at two officers.
“Every night we see images of him just dead," Osman's niece Ikran Aden said. "It’s hard to sleep.”
People in attendance spoke on stage about demanding accountability from the department. Including Percy Christian who is a member of Black Lives Matter for the Phoenix Metro area.
“We have to stand together," Christian said. "We have to show solidarity with one another.”
“We are not going to let his death go in vain," says Fatime Bitheri who also spoke at the rally. "We will continue to fight for him.”
The department released body camera footage from the shooting earlier this week. In the footage, you can hear officers ask Osman twice to drop the rock he was holding. The video then shows Osman throwing the rock at an officer.
After Osman throws the rock, you can hear four gunshots fired toward him. The officers provided aid at the scene and Osman was transported to the hospital where he later died from his injuries.
A police spokesperson said the officer, who has not been named, was hit in the shin. You then see four gunshots fired toward Osman.
"He didn’t deserve that," Aden said. "I believe he should have been in jail, but to be killed I don’t believe that is something that should have been done to him.”
The attorney for Ali Osman's family filed a claim against the City of Phoenix on Friday and says he plans to file a civil lawsuit sometime this week.
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