He felt ridiculous for noticing how shaky his signature looked. He had signed arrest affidavits, training certifications, and personnel recommendations during years of stressful work. He had spoken to families after tragedies and stood in rooms where frightened people needed him to sound completely sure of what he was saying. Yet his hand trembled because another officer had put his weight against his back while a neighbor laughed.
Nia noticed. She took the pen from him when he was done and put it gently on the clipboard. "You don't have to be unshakable every minute of the day," she said.
"I know."
"You're allowed to be angry."
"I know that, too."
She did not believe he was letting himself feel much of anything yet, but she knew him well enough not to force the conversation while people were watching. She stood beside him as Ortega collected the officers' initial statements and recorded the names of the neighbors who had seen the encounter. Evelyn Price came down from her porch and offered her phone footage, explaining exactly where she had stood and when she had started recording.
"I heard Mrs. Whitcomb shouting before the officers reached the driveway," Evelyn said. "I came outside because I thought someone had been hurt. When I saw her pointing at Mr. Brooks, I started filming. I don't know much about police procedure, but I know what I saw."
Ortega thanked her and explained how the department would request a copy through the evidence process. Evelyn asked whether the recording would be safe if she sent it to them. The question was simple, but it embarrassed Jordan more than anything else that morning. Here was a longtime resident who did not yet trust the local department to preserve evidence of its own officer's conduct.
"Keep your original recording," Ortega told Evelyn. "We'll make a documented copy. Don't edit it, and don't let anyone pressure you into deleting it."
Evelyn nodded, then looked at Jordan. "I should have spoken up sooner."
"You did speak up," he said. "And you recorded what happened. Thank you."
Karen remained near the sidewalk until Ortega asked her for a statement. She said the water had flooded the pedestrian path and that Jordan had been confrontational when the officers tried to help. When Ortega asked whether she had seen him attempt to strike, threaten, or flee from an officer, Karen said she had not, then immediately added that he had been "very disrespectful." Her definition of disrespect seemed to include every moment when Jordan asked a question she did not want answered.
"And what did you mean when you said he couldn't afford the vehicle?" Ortega asked.
Karen's face flushed. "I was only expressing concern. The car is expensive, and people sometimes—well, things happen."
"What things?"
"You know what I mean."
"I need you to tell me what you mean."