The protest came after a week of demonstrations around the Market Street parking deck, where 21-year-old Edilberto Espinoza-Sierra was killed in the early morning hours of Sunday, March 8.
That morning, Wilmington Police Department officers and New Hanover County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a shooting that wounded one man, David Corpus (who is now recovering from his injuries). According to some witnesses and viral videos, Corpus may have earlier been involved in a fight with Espinoza-Sierra and others. WPD later arrested 22-year-old Rafael Martinez of Wallace and charged him in Corpus' shooting.
Shortly after Corpus' shooting, as WPD and NHCSO tracked down potential suspects, officers confronted Espinoza-Sierra as he was driving his car inside the parking deck. Officers asked him to stop his vehicle, but Espinoza-Sierra refused to comply and drove away, which was captured on video and has since been widely circulated.
What happened next is not completely clear, but in at least one video, Espinoza-Sierra's vehicle can be seen turning around a corner onto a largely obscured lower level, after which a loud crash and numerous gunshots are heard. According to WPD, he presented an imminent threat to officers and other people in the deck. Espionza-Sierra's family says that lethal force was uncalled for, with some saying he was murdered.
The shooting is under review by the State Bureau of Investigation at the request of WPD and NHCSO, and seven police officers and deputies are on paid administrative leave, all of which is standard policy. Under North Carolina law, bodycam and dashcam footage cannot be released without a court order. One of the criteria of releasing footage is that it won't interfere with an active investigation.
