Body cam video shows moments before, after Georgia woman’s fatal fall from patrol car
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has released body camera video of the moments before and after a 28-year-old woman fell to her death from the back seat of a moving police car.
Brianna Grier received severe injuries during an in-custody incident involving Hancock County sheriff’s deputies, who initially said she jumped from the patrol car following her arrest at a home in Sparta on July 15.
However, GBI officials determined deputies never closed the rear passenger door where Grier was seated, leading to her deadly fall. The state agency was asked to investigate the incident and said their probe is ongoing.
Grier’s parents called 911 in the early hours of July 15 and said their daughter was “in the throes of a mental health crisis,” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Family members said paramedics usually arrived in response to Grier’s episodes, but deputies showed up this time and arrested her.
The 10-minute body cam video shows Grier lying on the ground near the rear driver’s side of the patrol car before deputies place her in the back seat. At one point, Grier threatens to harm herself. (Warning: video may be disturbing to some viewers)
The video shows deputies close the rear driver-side door once she’s inside. Citing additional footage, the GBI said one of the deputies also opened the rear passenger side door during Grier’s arrest but forgot to close it before pulling off. Grier was handcuffed at the time and wasn’t wearing a seat belt, investigators said.
Moments later, she is seen lying face down on the side of the road unconscious, according to body camera video.
Grier’s family is now demanding answers from authorities about their daughter’s death.
”We need closure,” Grier’s father, Marvin Grier, told CBS News. “We need to know the truth.”
“GBI agents have met with the Grier family in-person on multiple occasions since July 15,” the GBI wrote in a July 29 news release. “Agents have also had several conversations with the family, providing them with investigative updates.”
Sparta is about 60 miles northeast of Macon.
This story was originally published August 1, 2022 at 8:35 AM with the headline "Body cam video shows moments before, after Georgia woman’s fatal fall from patrol car."