NORFOLK, Va — Markell Taylor, a man accused of shooting at police officers before police shot him, appeared in court in Norfolk Wednesday. He's charged with assault on law enforcement.
Taylor's attorney, Amina Matheny-Willard, showed judge Robert Foley body camera footage from several police officers who were at the scene along Bagnall Road on May 24.
Watch: Man charged with attempted murder after shootout with Norfolk Police
Man charged in Norfolk shooting with officers
She claimed the footage will show the case is one of "bad intel and police brutality."
The court and attorneys told News 3 the body camera footage would not be released to the public at this time "in the interest of Mr. Taylor receiving a fair trial down the line," though News 3 was able to view the footage at the bond hearing.
The video played in court showed officers spotting Taylor along the road and calling out to him by name. In the footage officers said they believed Taylor had a warrant out for 'malicious wounding.' Though Matheny-Willard noted that Taylor did not have a warrant out for 'malicious wounding' but did have a warrant out for 'failure to appear' in a Chesapeake case.
When police called out to Taylor, Taylor ran away from police. That's something Matheny-Willard and Taylor's family said is not an uncommon response.
Watch: Man in hospital after shootout with Norfolk Police officers
Man in hospital after shootout with Norfolk Police officers, chief says
"These Black men do run from police because they feel like they're in danger. They don't trust the police. They don't feel that they gonna keep them safe. So, that's what they do, they flee from them. This situation here is the exact reason they do flee from them, because they're not representing the way they supposed to," explained Leonya Lewis, Taylor's girlfriend.
"He was running and they shot him in the back. They telling me he got a gun. I mean, everybody know he got a gun, so now you can shoot someone when they running just because you know they have a gun and they're getting away?" asked Troy Taylor, Taylor's father.
Taylor's father said Taylor was shot by police in the back, legs, and side and is recovering.
Prosecutor Robin Winn argued this is not an instance of police brutality and asked Taylor be denied bond.
Watch: Raw footage of shooting on Bagnall Road
Raw footage: Norfolk Police investigating shooting on Bagnall Road
It was hard for those in the courtroom to see on body camera video what happened when the first shots were fired, but police claimed Taylor turned over his shoulder and shot at them before they returned fire.
An officer initially thought to have been shot during the incident, and who was shown on body camera video calling out that he thought he'd been shot, had not been shot but had suffered a sprained knee.
The family said watching the tapes back was upsetting, especially when they saw Taylor on the ground.
"Once he was hit he did put his hands up in the air and say, 'I'm hit, I'm bleeding out. I'm hit, I'm bleeding out,' and the officers that was there, they did not care about that. They still was wanting to fire their service weapon," said Lewis.
They hoped Taylor would be let out on bond.
"He been hitting the hard life all his life but he never hurt nobody," said Troy Taylor.
Winn told a judge Taylor is "one of the most dangerous individuals seen in the city of Norfolk," and listed off Taylor's numerous prior convictions and several pending felonies. Taylor is also facing additional charges from a separate incident that occurred between police and Taylor at the hospital after the shooting.
"We know he have done a lot of bad things in life, I mean we all know who Markell is, the record you guys are putting out, but at the end of the day when you're innocent, you're innocent," said Lewis.
A judge denied Taylor's request for bond.
Matheny-Willard, Taylor's attorney, added she would like to speak with anyone who witnessed the incident.
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