E. Paige White says the shooting lacked justification

E. Paige WhiteCivil-rights attorney for Phillip M. Brown

White and co-counsel Bernadette Armand said in a joint statement to WUSA9 that the short clip MPD released supports their position that Brown was nearly killed by his own government for no reason.

“Though MPD only released a short clip of its officer's BWC footage, it underscores what attorneys for Mr. Brown asserted since the shooting—he was nearly killed by his own government for no reason.”

Reporting

Open source (opens in a new tab)After months of pressure, DC Police release videos of a federal agent shooting at driver during a traffic stopParagraphs quoting a joint statement from Brown's attorneys E. Paige White and Bernadette Armand to WUSA9

Reporting

Open source (opens in a new tab)After months of pressure, DC Police release videos of a federal agent shooting at driver during a traffic stopParagraphs quoting E. Paige White and Bernadette Armand, Brown's attorneys
D.C. police body-camera footage showing patrol vehicles and emergency lights during the traffic stop involving Phillip Brown.
Credit: Metropolitan Police Department, District of Columbia

Where this statement fits

Was HSI Agent Benedict Bebber justified in firing at Phillip M. Brown?

On October 17, 2025, Homeland Security Investigations agent Benedict Bebber fired multiple rounds at Phillip M. Brown's Dodge Durango during a traffic stop on Benning Road in Washington, D.C. Brown was not hit. The Department of Homeland Security said Brown deliberately tried to run officers down and that Bebber fired defensive shots while fearing for his life and others. Brown's lawyers said no officer was in the vehicle's path and pointed to bullet strikes through the driver's side. Two released Metropolitan Police Department body-camera clips capture the gunfire and aftermath but do not show Bebber firing. A judge dismissed Brown's fleeing charge for insufficient evidence, and the U.S. Attorney declined to prosecute Bebber. The dispute is whether Brown's vehicle presented an imminent threat when Bebber fired.

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Case updates

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Source and context

Reporting

After months of pressure, DC Police release videos of a federal agent shooting at driver during a traffic stop (opens in a new tab)Paragraphs quoting a joint statement from Brown's attorneys E. Paige White and Bernadette Armand to WUSA9

About this source

Yahoo News carries WUSA9's report on the release of D.C. police body-camera footage. It quotes a joint statement to WUSA9 from Phillip Brown's attorneys, E. Paige White and Bernadette Armand, that the current WUSA9 page no longer shows.

Reporting

After months of pressure, DC Police release videos of a federal agent shooting at driver during a traffic stop (opens in a new tab)Paragraphs quoting E. Paige White and Bernadette Armand, Brown's attorneys

About this source

WUSA9 report on the release of D.C. police body-camera footage, quoting Brown's attorneys E. Paige White and Bernadette Armand. The joint statement from both attorneys appears in the copy of this report syndicated by Yahoo News. The current WUSA9 page no longer shows it.

Before the quotation

MPD released two body-camera clips capturing the gunfire and aftermath, though not Bebber’s trigger pull.

After the quotation

The legal team said Bebber was not in Brown’s trajectory and that the footage contradicted the claim that he faced a threat.

How this statement is classified

Condemned

The label describes this statement's response within the context above.

Why this label?

The statement expressly calls the shooting unjustified.

Recorded on
Published here

Corrections to this statement

These notices document reporting corrections, classification changes, and topic-label updates.

Reporting correction

Correction to: Statement by E. Paige White

Previous language
While MPD released only a brief segment of the officer’s body camera footage, it highlights what Mr. Brown’s legal team has maintained since the incident—he was nearly killed by his own government without justification.
Corrected language
Though MPD only released a short clip of its officer's BWC footage, it underscores what attorneys for Mr. Brown asserted since the shooting—he was nearly killed by his own government for no reason.

We showed a reworded version of a joint statement from Phillip Brown's attorneys, E. Paige White and Bernadette Armand, as their exact words. The quotation now shows the statement as WUSA9 reported it. We added the syndicated copy of that report that carries the statement, because the current WUSA9 page no longer shows it.

This corrects our account of what happened.

After months of pressure, DC Police release videos of a federal agent shooting at driver during a traffic stop (opens in a new tab)Paragraphs quoting a joint statement from Brown's attorneys E. Paige White and Bernadette Armand to WUSA9

Yahoo News carries WUSA9's report on the release of D.C. police body-camera footage. It quotes a joint statement to WUSA9 from Phillip Brown's attorneys, E. Paige White and Bernadette Armand, that the current WUSA9 page no longer shows.

More from this case

Read the full case

Merawi Gerima demands charges in the Brown shooting

Merawi Gerima

“It shows in fact that Homeland Security was doing exactly what they did in Minneapolis with Renee Good, using the vehicle as a pretext to try and murder somebody in cold blood. We want charges. We want federal agents charged, we want MPD and investigators charged. You can't nearly murder someone in D.C. and get to go back to work, continue patrolling the streets of D.C.”
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Cite this record

Publisher
The Dispute Index
Title
E. Paige White says the shooting lacked justification
First published
Last updated
Permalink
https://disputeindex.com/events/1479-white-and-co-counsel-bernadette-armand-said-in

Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.

The Dispute Index. "E. Paige White says the shooting lacked justification". First published: 2026-09-22. Last updated: 2026-09-26. https://disputeindex.com/events/1479-white-and-co-counsel-bernadette-armand-said-in