DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — A judge on Thursday ordered the release of several pieces of video in what appears to be two separate but connected shootings inside a Highlands Ranch entertainment center that left a man dead and a woman injured earlier this month.
Douglas County Judge Kelly Waidler heard arguments from the defense and prosecution about the release of body-worn camera video from the Feb. 8 shooting inside and outside of the Main Event entertainment center.
Twenty-three-year-old Jalin Seabron was shot and killed by an arriving deputy who claimed the man was holding a gun he refused to put down when ordered to do so by law enforcement. Since then, questions surrounding the actions of the deputy have been raised by family members, as it’s not clear from statements released by the sheriff’s office following the deadly shooting whether Seabron presented an immediate danger to the deputy’s life that night.
Deputies allege Seabron was trying to help 23-year-old Nevaeha Rayon Crowley-Sanders escape from the Main Event after she had reportedly shot a woman inside a bathroom before indiscriminately turning the gun against other patrons inside.
Crime
Argument in bathroom escalated to shooting at Highlands Ranch Main Event: Docs
Tyrone Glover, the attorney representing Seabron’s family in the case, has categorically rejected how Seabron has been portrayed by the sheriff’s office and has accused the agency of “deliberately conflating two separate incidents to retroactively justify the shooting of an innocent man.”
In court Thursday, Glover called the potential release of edited body-warm camera footage “a persuasive argument against our client,” by the sheriff’s office, and joined attorneys representing Navaeha in calling for the judge to order the release of shorter, unedited clips from the deputy’s body-worn camera and his patrol car, as well as exterior surveillance video from the Main Event entertainment center.
In making their argument, Navaeha’s attorneys said ordering the release of footage edited by the sheriff’s office outside those three clips “would not provide a fair trial to our client” and asked the judge to leave Navaeha out of them.
Prosecutors, however, said video edited by the sheriff’s office would still be raw video – even if zoomed in, slowed down or with text superimposed to help them explain what happened that night, and would not implicate Navaeha’s rights to a fair trial in any way.
In response, Navaeha’s attorneys said an edited version of the events from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office would further implicate their client with Seaborn, which would “taint the jury…. [and] create a credibility issue for witnesses.”
Citing the circumstances of the case and after hearing arguments from both sides, Judge Waidler ordered the court to release shorter, unedited versions of those three clips within 72 hours, with the condition that they not show what Navaeha did that night.
Judge denies request to reduce “incredibly oppressive” bond
Defense attorneys for Navaeha then asked the judge to reduce what they called an “incredibly oppressive $1 million bond” to $100,000 cash surety, arguing the suspect wasn’t a flight risk as she had grown up in the community and had the support of community members as well as her family, some of whom were present in court Thursday.
To bolster their argument, Navaeha’s attorneys called on several members of her family to plead her case and ask for a reduction in the bond. Among them was a lieutenant colonel, her grandfather and her great-grandmother, who asked the judge for leniency so Navaeha could give her recently deceased brother “a final good-bye.”
Prosecutors, however, argued the suspect was a danger to the community and made their case by explaining that Navaeha “pulled out a gun and started firing at people… and continued firing” inside a crowded venue where many families were enjoying their night.
Judge Waidler – in explaining her decision to deny a reduction in her bond – said that while she appreciated the support shown by the family, Navaeha was facing five counts of attempted first-degree murder along with other charges, “which, if convicted, she does face, essentially, life in prison.”
Waidler then set Navaeha’s next court hearing for April 10 at 1 p.m.
Advocates applaud decision, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office responds
Outside the courtroom, advocates and family members who came to show support for Seabron during the preliminary hearing said the decision by the judge was a “very small step toward the truth.”
“We and this family have always stood on wanting the facts to be released and the truth to be told, and we stand on that,” said MiDian Shofner, the CEO and founder of the Epitome of Black Excellence and Partnership. “To the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office: You no longer have exclusive access to this microphone. You no longer have an opportunity to dehumanize a young man, a king, a leader, like Jalin Seabron. You now have to stand behind the true story of who he is and what his legacy will be for the community.”
Speaking through tears, Suci Martinez, Seabron’s grandmother, said her grandson was a man who had been raised in the church, and remembered him as someone who loved people and had a contagious smile.
“We pray God have mercy on this people that are trying to discredit my grandson,” Martinez said. “Justice for Jalin. It will happen.”
In a statement later Thursday, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said they were committed to transparency and were ready to release video of the shooting that night.
“It is important to see the totality of the situation our deputy faced as he ran toward gunfire in an active shooter situation,” a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office said. “We believe this video will help clarify the facts surrounding this tragic incident, correct misinformation, and reassure our citizens that our deputy acted within the law.”
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