Three years after the police shooting of 20-year-old Sayed Faisal spurred the use of body cameras for police officers in Cambridge, questions about the use of the devices and broader issues with police policy still remain in the city.
A Cambridge police officer shot Faisal on Jan. 4, 2023, after responding to a 911 call from a neighbor. Officers followed Faisal into a backyard, where he approached them with a knife. Police fired a less-than-lethal “sponge” round to stop him, and then shot him when that failed. The officer who shot Faisal was not prosecuted and the use of force was found to be justified.
The incident was a flashpoint in Cambridge. It prompted discussions about how police respond to situations in the city, and what could be done to improve accountability. Yet, three years after Faisal’s death, community activists like Fatema Ahmad with the Muslim Justice League said those wounds still feel fresh…