{"id":15554,"date":"2021-08-31T21:19:48","date_gmt":"2021-09-01T01:19:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=15554"},"modified":"2021-09-02T10:56:09","modified_gmt":"2021-09-02T14:56:09","slug":"montana-free-press-death-of-native-man-prompts-calls-for-justice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/08\/31\/montana-free-press-death-of-native-man-prompts-calls-for-justice\/","title":{"rendered":"Montana Free Press: Death of Native man prompts calls for justice"},"content":{"rendered":"\"Brendon<\/a>
Missoula residents lay flowers at the corner of Stephens Avenue and Beckwith Street in honor of Brendon Galbreath on Thursday, August 19, 2021. Photo by Mara Silvers \/ Montana Free Press<\/figcaption>\r\n
Missoulians mourn Brendon Galbreath<\/div>\r\n
About a hundred people rallied Thursday to remember the 21-year-old and demand details from law enforcement.<\/div>\r\n
Tuesday, August 31, 2021<\/div>\r\n
By Mara Silvers<\/div>\r\n
Montana Free Press<\/DIV>\r\n
montanafreepress.org<\/A><\/DIV>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nMISSOULA \u2014 About a hundred people gathered at Sacajawea Park Thursday afternoon to grieve the death of Brendon Galbreath, 21, and demand transparency from law enforcement agencies that released few details about his death<\/a> earlier in August.

<\/p>\r\n\r\n\u201cWhat we don\u2019t know is what happened,\u201d said Zuri Moreno, a community organizer in Missoula who has been working with Galbreath\u2019s family, during the gathering. \u201cWe know that in the early morning of August 12, Brendon lost his life. How did that happen? It is unacceptable, more than a week later, that we do not have answers. It is unacceptable that this family does not know what happened in those last moments of Brendon\u2019s life.\u201d

<\/p>\r\n\r\nGalbreath, a member of the Blackfeet Tribe, died following a police-involved shooting<\/a> after being pulled over for an undisclosed reason. Galbreath drove away from the traffic stop, leading to a vehicle chase that ended at approximately 1 a.m. on Stephens Avenue, where police say both Galbreath and an officer fired weapons. The Missoula Police Department has said officers rendered medical aid until EMS took Galbreath to St. Patrick Hospital at an undisclosed time. Galbreath\u2019s brother has said his parents were notified of his death by hospital staff around 5:20 a.m.

<\/p>\r\n\r\nThursday\u2019s rally took place at the same time Galbreath\u2019s family was holding his funeral in Browning after retrieving his body from Missoula on Sunday. In a statement posted on Facebook, Galbreath\u2019s older brother called for more transparency from law enforcement about the events leading up to Galbreath\u2019s death.

<\/p>\r\n\r\n\u201cAs I sit here and stare at my brothers body we can\u2019t help but to play scenario after scenario after scenario about what could\u2019ve happened, what did happen and what should\u2019ve happened,\u201d Terrance LaFromboise wrote in part of a longer statement. \u201cWe can all create our own narrative and our own reality based off of the lack of information we have.\u201d

<\/p>\r\n\r\n\"Brendon<\/a>

A sign at an August 19, 2021, rally calls for police transparency about the events leading to the August 12 death of Brendon Galbreath. Photo by Mara Silvers \/ Montana Free Press<\/figcaption>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n \r\nOfficials with the state Department of Justice\u2019s Division of Criminal Investigations are investigating the incident at the request of the Missoula Police Department. On Monday, Division Administrator Bryan Lockerby said the investigation\u2019s initial findings indicate that Galbreath, who was carrying a firearm, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound<\/a> after he and a Missoula police officer fired weapons \u201calmost simultaneously.\u201d According to unreleased video footage from body and dashboard cameras and other evidence collected at the scene, Lockerby said, the officer\u2019s bullet struck the vehicle Galbreath was inside, but did not strike Galbreath.

<\/p>\r\n\r\nAfter a week of what they describe as confusing accounts from law enforcement officers and agencies, Galbreath\u2019s family has not yet been allowed to see the footage or other evidence on which DCI based that preliminary conclusion.

<\/p>\r\n\r\nThe video footage is part of what the family and community members are now insisting be released, in addition to a complete timeline of the events of the incident and the names of officers who were involved.

<\/p>\r\n\r\nIn response to the family\u2019s demands, a spokesperson for the Missoula Police Department in a written statement acknowledged \u201cthe different emotions, questions, and feelings that arise from family, friends, and the community surrounding the time of Brendon\u2019s passing.\u201d

<\/p>\r\n\r\nRegarding the release of available evidence, the spokesperson said, \u201cMissoula Police Department hears your request. The Missoula Police Department is communicating directly with the Galbreath family in an effort to help them understand the events of Brendon\u2019s death and the investigation process. When additional details are available, they will be shared with the community.\u201d The statement also said that upon receiving the DCI report, the police department \u201cwill conduct [an] internal investigation based upon the independent facts provided in their investigation.\u201d

<\/p>\r\n

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