Debbie Nalls-Long, the wife of 36 year-old Mack Long, appeared on the Amos Brown show Wednesday afternoon to speak on the details of her husband’s police-involved death. Long was shot and killed by police following a traffic stop April 12, 2015 near the intersection of East 30th Street and North Sherman Drive. It was reported that upon being stopped, Long ran from the police and was engaged in a physical struggle with officers before being shot.
Video footage of the incident obtained from a body camera worn by officer Jered Hidlebaugh, and a cell phone confiscated by police from a witness who was standing nearby, has been entered into evidence.
“To this day, there are a lot of questions in the community. A lot of buzz in the community as to what really happened,” said radio host Amos Brown at the start of Wednesday’s show. “Meanwhile the family of Mack Long has a lot of questions and three months after the fact, no answers,” he said.
Nalls-Long, a mother of five sons, said that she is seeking the truth. “We were promised transparency. For me and Mack’s family, this means that all of the evidence that is necessary to show that my husband’s shooting was warranted hasn’t been given to us and we just need closure,” she said. “This is our loved one; this is a man who in our view is not the man that has been presented to the public.”
Following Long’s shooting, details of his criminal past – which includes two felony cocaine convictions, emerged. Nalls-Long said that while she admits her late husband was not a perfect person he was a loving father who instilled the values of hard work, education, and discipline in his sons.
Nalls-Long is asking community residents, leaders, and elected officials to get involved in her fight for answers. She has created an online petition calling for the release of IMPD’s police report, video footage of the shooting, and a coroner’s inquest.
As of today, the petition has garnered 96 signatures.
To sign the petition visit http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/mack-long-police-killing
Click here to listen to Wednesday’s radio broadcast.
