Bodycam footage revealed the moment police officers searched through an Illinois man’s vehicle and assumed an urn contained drugs. However, he explained to them that it contained his late daughter’s ashes.
RELATED STORIES: Andrew Brown’s Family Says Police Bodycam Footage Shows Fatal Shooting Was Like an Execution
The April 2020 recording was released by the Springfield Police Department where it shows the officers explaining to Dartavius Barnes that they already tested the contents of the urn and believed it was drugs. Barnes further explains that the ashes belonged to his two-year-old daughter, Ta’Naja, and he asks the officer to return it. According to TMZ, the officer closes the door as the man pleads for his urn and turns to his colleague to laugh about the situation along with stating that it tested positive for meth.
Barnes has filed a lawsuit against the City of Springfield, claiming the officers have violated his Fourth Amendment rights while searching his vehicle and poured out his daughter’s ashes. Additionally, the lawsuit states the situation has caused emotional distress for Barnes.
RELATED STORIES: Judge Refuses To Release Bodycam Of Andrew Brown Jr. Police Shooting
The Springfield Police Department said in a statement that the situation is a personnel matter and there were no further comments on the lawsuit.