NEW BRITAIN -- There was a call for justice Wednesday evening for a 20-year old shot and killed by police last year.
The shooting was caught on camera, but the video has not been made public.
Police said they were forced to shoot into a car carrying several armed robbery suspects. The families of the young men involved said the video tells a different story. This is all coming at the same time as FOX 61 learned of new charges against one of the young men involved.
Zoe Dowdell, 20, was among the three teenagers riding inside a teal Toyota Paseo last December.
According to New Britain Police, that car was suspected of being involved in a string of carjackings and armed robberies. Police said they opened fire because the car hit several police cruisers as it tried to drive away.
However, family members want the dash cam footage released so they can see what happened for themselves.
“To look at the news and see his sneaker laying on the middle of the street, no one deserves that,” said Deanna Dowdell, Zoe’s stepmom.
“We just want justice. We just want to see what really happened. That’s pretty much. This is horrible, something horrible,” said Hakeem Robinson, Zoe’s brother.
The New Britain Police Department released a statement and said all evidence related to the case is handled by Connecticut State Police under the supervision of the State’s Attorney in Fairfield.
“The chief’s passing it onto the deputy chief. In the meantime, these five officers that killed my stepson, they’re still allowed to come to work every day,” added Deanna Dowdell.
Supporters of Zoe as well as the other teen involved, Caleb Tisdol, stood at the Central Park Monument and labeled the case as police brutality.
The crowd chanted “No justice! No peace! No racist! No police!” as they marched to the New Britain Police Department where four officers stood outside the door.
Deanna Dowdell said she wants the five officers involved in the December incident to be removed from their positions.
A familiar face at the rally was Jazmarie Melendez, the sister of Jayson Negron. He was the 15-year-old who was shot and killed by Bridgeport Police back in May of 2017. The video of that shooting was released by the State’s Attorney after it concluded its investigation and cleared those officers of wrongdoing.
Melendez said she knows all too well of how Dowdell’s family is feeling.
“You know I got really emotional because Zoe was a rapper, my brother was a rapper and I was just thinking how young all of the people involved in the situation are,” said Melendez.