No Camera, No Justice: Bryan Bostic's Family Demands Answers After He Dies in Inglewood Police Custody

Bryan Bostic, a 37-year-old Black man, is dead — and the Inglewood Police Department wants the public to wait for answers. His family refuses to.

Bostic died on March 10 after being detained during a late-night traffic stop at the corner of Hillcrest and Nutwood. He had been on his way to visit his girlfriend at Gardena Memorial Hospital when officers pulled him over around 9:30 p.m. What followed is a story his family is still desperately trying to piece together, because the Inglewood Police Department does not use body-worn cameras.

According to Mayor James Butts, officers claimed Bostic "attempted to conceal something," triggering a struggle that ended with his arrest. Butts acknowledged that at the time of his arrest, Bostic "was sweating profusely and he had a contusion on his cheek." Paramedics were called, cleared him for booking, and by the time officers arrived at the station, Bostic was not breathing.

The absence of body cameras is perhaps the most damning detail. When Mayor Butts attempted to reassure the family that Bostic "was alive in back of the police car before they got to the police station," his aunt Marie Darden was direct in her response: "I told him, 'Crap. That's bull crap. It should be body cams. How could you assure me that if you weren't there at the crime?'"

That question cuts to the heart of this case. Without footage, the family,  and the public,  are left taking the department's word for what happened to a Black man who entered police custody alive and left it dead.

Butts has rejected any suggestion of misconduct, saying "that's absolutely untrue as it relates to the Inglewood Police Department." But that dismissal rings hollow to a grieving family demanding transparency.

"We don't know what happened," said Bostic's relative Talia. "We're so heartbroken. It's unimaginable, really."

Bryan Bostic was described by those who loved him as someone who "spoke life into you." Now his family is left searching for the truth about how his own life was extinguished.

Link: NBC Los Angeles

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