Police Be Lying: Video Shows Florida Police Lied About Why They Shot And Killed ‘Armed’ Black Man
Earlier this month, an incident involving a Black man and police officers in South Florida reminded us of a crucial fact that should be highlighted as widely and as often as possible for the safety and security of a free society:
When a cop shoots and kills an unarmed civilian, they have all the same incentive to lie about why and how it happened that any killer who wishes to get away with their crime has, which is likely why police officers in Hollywood, Florida, claimed last August that they were “forced to fire” at 32-year-old Donald Taylor, who they allege had been on a days-long armed robbery spree, according to local news. However, this month, video footage of the shooting has been released, and — surprise, surprise — it shows Taylor walking away from cops with his hands raised to his sides, showing that he had no gun in his hand at the time an officer fired the single shot that took his life.
The video was obtained and posted to Instagram by the Whitehouse Law Group, a Miami law firm operated by attorney Erian Stirrup White, who was retained by Taylor’s family.
“Donald Taylor was murdered by the Hollywood Police Department on August 3, 2025,” the law firm wrote in a caption on IG. “Our office was able to independently obtain video of the moments leading up to the shooting, and what is absolutely clear is that Donald Taylor posed NO THREAT to the officers or the public at the time of this shooting.
“We demand public accountability and stand with Donald’s family as they pursue justice for this callous act,” the statement continued.
Of course, in August, the authorities released their own video footage, which conveniently didn’t show the shooting itself, but purported to show Taylor’s alleged violent crime spree.
From Local 10:
According to police, it started July 30 when a gun was stolen from a car off State Road 7.
Less than an hour later, police said Taylor and another man barreled into a convenience store in Miramar. Police said Taylor got into a confrontation with another man while he held a gun in his right hand. Taylor eventually shoved the person and pointed the gun at him, police said.
Two days later, police said Taylor shot someone he knew in the 1200 block of Hollywood Boulevard around 1:30 a.m.
Ring video shows officers trying to get Taylor to surrender, but he ended up getting away from police.
That evening at 7 p.m., police said Taylor walked into a Dollar General off State Road 7 and grabbed a cashier at gunpoint, pushing her before leaving the store.
The next day, Aug. 2, video captured Taylor again, gun in hand, at a Walgreens off Pembroke Road, police said.
Authorities said he slid over the counter and started pocketing cash from the drawer, slowly taking the money before leaving.
The next day around 4 p.m., Hollywood detectives were surveilling the area of Southwest 61st Avenue and 19th Street in Miramar looking for Taylor.
When police located him and approached, they said he would not listen to officers, leading to them opening fire.
“The suspect was armed and refused to listen to officer’s verbal commands. At that point, an officer-involved shooting occurred,” Hollywood police told local media at the time in a press release, according to Atlanta Black Star.
It’s almost as if the police department was doing its best to emphasize Taylor’s alleged crimes in order to obfuscate the fact that he wasn’t a threat at the moment he was shot dead, but even with video footage that allegedly shows Taylor committing these crimes, the police still needed to lie about him being armed and leaving officers with no other choice but to use deadly force.
From Atlanta Black Star:
But the newly surface video from a security camera in a home shows Taylor casually strolling through a residential neighborhood before he walks out of the frame. That is when the cops can be heard yelling at him, ordering him to the ground.
Taylor then walks back into the frame with his arms extended to his side, walking away from the cops while looking back at them. He does not appear to be holding a gun.
“What are you guys doing to me?” he says as he walks away.
That was when a cop fires a single shot, causing Taylor to fall face down on the ground.
“Don’t move!” the cop yells as he approaches with his gun drawn. A second cop walks alongside him with a gun drawn.
The brief clip, with a trigger warning on the law firm’s Instagram page, stunned viewers.
“OMG!!!!,” one said. Another added, “Thank God someone camera caught this!” And, “I’m freakin speechless like why????”
But the question is this: Will the video showing the officers lying be enough to hold anyone accountable, or will this nation of bootlickers and racists absolve the police of what would be considered flat-out murder if a civilian had taken a life under similar circumstances?
“Donald was a loving son and brother, who recently began to suffer debilitating symptoms of a mental health crisis,” the Whitehouse Law Firm said in a press release. “Within days of the incident, the Hollywood Police Department began to release misleading statements about the murder, suggesting that the officer fired his weapon because Donald was armed. Simultaneously, they have refused to release any information to his family. High definition video evidence, from an independent 3rd party, reveals the truth: Donald was shot down without regard and without justification.”
The firm also took aim at local media outlets, accusing them of blindly backing the police’s account of what happened.
“The media has already begun to deflect from the callousness of his murder by focusing on allegations of crimes he was accused of leading up to his murder,” the firm wrote. “Despite the seriousness of these allegations, Donald, like any person accused of a crime in this country, was entitled to Due Process and the Presumption of Innocence. The police should not, and do not have the authority to act as judge, jury, and executioner.”
And in the interest of justice and fairness within the justice system, officers of the law need to be held to account when there is recorded proof that they have lied to protect themselves.
SEE ALSO: