Discovery could be critical twist in Denkins shooting
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- The new questions for investigators looking into the deadly police shooting of Akiel Denkins:
Is that a bullet hole in the side of a house near where Denkins was shot?
If so, did the bullet come from the police officer's gun?
If the answers are yes, Friday night's discovery could be very significant.
It's been 18 days since those four gunshots on Bragg Street. The street-side memorial to Denkins remains. The candles have gone out. But, Friday night, investigators were back on the scene.
Read More: Family's lawyers say independent autopsy shows Denkins was shot in back
"To (the investigators') credit, the minute we made this information known to the prosecutor, they were out here immediately," said Denkins family attorney Scott Holmes.
Holmes and the family's team of volunteers say their independent investigation of the police-involved shooting led them to eyewitnesses who contradicted the Raleigh Police Department account of the shooting.
Eyewitnesses say they heard gunshots on the opposite side of the house on the corner of East and Bragg Streets. Now, this newly discovered hole in the home may prove the eyewitnesses are correct.
"If that is a bullet hole and there's a bullet in there that would match the officer's gun then it would contradict (the officer's) statement that the shooting happened around the corner and back behind the patio," Holmes said.
Read more: SBI expects to wrap up investigation soon
Raleigh Police says Officer D.C. Twiddy chased Denkins on foot after attempting to serve a felony drug warrant; that during a struggle Denkins reached for a gun in his waistband; That
Officer Twiddy fired his service weapon in self-defense.
Denkins' family attorneys have been exploring eyewitness claims that Denkins was shot in the back.
They say this newly discovered hole near the shooting scene only fuels more questions. Now, they want to talk to Officer Twiddy directly.
"We are requesting on behalf of the family the opportunity to interview the officer ourselves," Holmes said.
The man who lives in the home on East Street says the hole in the house is new to him; he knew of no bullet hole.
Thursday, Wake County District Attorney, Lorrin Freeman told ABC11 she expected the State Bureau of Investigation to wrap up its probe by sometime next week.
It's unclear whether this new potential piece of evidence changes the timetable.
