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Otis French

Age : 32

Gender : Male

Race : Black

Date : 08/20/2022

Location : Lower Street, Douglasville community

City : Bay Minette

County : Baldwin

State : Alabama

Agency : Bay Minette Police Department

Officer(s) :Brandon Thompson

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police during traffic stop for alleged equipment violation

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 08/20/2022, Bay Minette Police Department Officer Brandon Thompson shot and killed 32-year-old Otis “OJ” French Jr. following a traffic stop on Lower Street in the Douglasville community of Bay Minette. The encounter began shortly before 10:30 a.m. over an alleged minor vehicle equipment/traffic violation.
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The precise justification given for the stop has varied in official accounts. Initial reporting said Thompson stopped French for an equipment violation and asked him to get out so the officer could show him the problem and issue a warning. A later Alabama Attorney General review described the initial violation as failure to signal a turn and stated that Thompson subsequently asked French to activate his hazard lights because a light was not working. French's family's subsequent federal lawsuit disputes that French committed any traffic violation and alleges that the stop itself was unlawful.
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French initially provided his driver's license and registration. Thompson then directed French to get out of the vehicle. According to the family's federal civil-rights complaint, French complied with the request to exit before Thompson attempted to pat him down and search him. The lawsuit alleges that Thompson lacked lawful grounds for the search and unnecessarily escalated what had begun as a routine traffic encounter.
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Police alleged that French became combative when Thompson attempted the pat-down, struck Thompson, pushed him to the ground and ran away. Thompson pursued French on foot and attempted to use a Taser. Police said the Taser was ineffective and that another physical struggle followed.
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Police further alleged that during the second struggle French took Thompson's Taser and used it against him. Thompson then drew his firearm and shot French multiple times. French was transported to a hospital, where he died.
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French's family has sharply disputed the police narrative and demanded release of the evidence surrounding the killing. Community members held demonstrations and repeatedly called for transparency, including release of Thompson's body-worn-camera footage. One month after the shooting, residents were still publicly demanding answers about why a traffic stop over a minor alleged violation ended with French dead. The body-camera recording was not publicly released during the initial investigation.
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The Baldwin County Major Crimes Unit investigated the shooting at the request of the Bay Minette Police Department. Investigators collected police reports, witness statements, dispatch records, physical evidence, photographs and video evidence and submitted the investigation to the Alabama Attorney General's Office for review.
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In 2023, the Alabama Attorney General's Office concluded that Thompson would not face criminal charges. The state accepted the account that French had taken the Taser and used it against Thompson and concluded that Thompson's use of deadly force was legally justified.
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On 07/31/2024, French's father, Otis French Sr., acting as representative of his son's estate, filed a federal civil-rights lawsuit against Thompson and the City of Bay Minette. The complaint alleges that Thompson unlawfully stopped French, conducted an unlawful pat-down and search, used excessive force and ultimately shot and killed him. The lawsuit disputes the government's characterization of the encounter and alleges constitutional violations arising from both the stop and the use of force.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
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Brandon Thompson was subsequently publicly identified as the Bay Minette Police Department officer who shot French. Thompson was placed on administrative leave after the killing while the Baldwin County Major Crimes Unit investigated. The Alabama Attorney General's Office later declined to prosecute him.
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Thompson was named individually as a defendant in the 2024 federal civil-rights lawsuit filed by French's estate. The complaint alleges that Thompson initiated an unlawful traffic stop, escalated the encounter through an unjustified search and used excessive deadly force against French. Those claims are allegations in ongoing civil litigation rather than adjudicated findings.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.wkrg.com/baldwin-county/1-month-since-man-killed-by-bay-minette-officer-residents-demand-answers/
https://www.fox10tv.com/2022/08/20/suspect-dead-after-officer-involved-shooting-bay-minette/
https://www.fox10tv.com/2022/08/22/body-cam-footage-fatal-officer-involved-shooting-bay-minette-wont-be-released/
https://1819news.com/news/item/bay-minette-police-officer-involved-in-deadly-shooting-cleared-of-wrongdoing
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nationally-renowned-civil-rights-firm-may-jung-files-federal-civil-rights-case-against-the-city-of-bay-minette-and-shooting-officer-brandon-thompson-302211454.html