Lawsuit Alleges SEPTA Police Withheld Video Proving Teen’s Innocence in Station Shooting
A federal civil rights lawsuit filed in Philadelphia accuses SEPTA transit police of deliberately suppressing surveillance footage that proved a teenager did not kill his friend. Zaire Wilson, who was 16 years old at the time of the incident, was arrested and charged with murder following a shooting at the 52nd Street SEPTA station in April 2019. He spent nearly two years incarcerated in an adult prison facility before all charges were eventually withdrawn.
The legal complaint contends that SEPTA detectives had immediate access to high-definition security camera footage from the station platform. According to the lawsuit, this video clearly showed Wilson fleeing the scene before the fatal shots were fired, placing him away from the gunman. Despite possessing this exculpatory evidence, officers allegedly filed an affidavit of probable cause identifying Wilson as the shooter, leading to his arrest and prolonged detention without bail.
Background information provided in the filing indicates that the charges against Wilson were only dropped in 2021 after his defense attorney successfully petitioned the District Attorney’s Office to review the surveillance tapes. The review reportedly confirmed that the physical evidence contradicted the police narrative that Wilson was the perpetrator. The lawsuit argues that the decision to bury the footage violated Wilson’s Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights, depriving him of his liberty during his developmental years.
In response to the filing, representatives for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) have declined to comment on the specific allegations, citing standard policy regarding pending litigation. In similar civil proceedings, defense counsel for law enforcement agencies typically argue that officers acted in good faith based on the totality of circumstances and witness statements available at the time of the arrest. The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages for the time Wilson spent wrongfully imprisoned.
