Assistant Chief Nicholas Augustine of the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) addressed a situation involving the posting of a video showing the death of a pedestrian in Kensington. The message is transcribed below followed by the video of the full message by MCPD Assistant Chief Augustine:
“
Hello, I’m assistant Chief Nicholas Augustine with Montgomery County Police. I want to take a moment to address a deeply troubling situation. Not just a tragic incident that occurred, but the aftermath that followed.
Recently, a video was posted online showing one of our community members being struck and killed by a vehicle in the Kensington area of Montgomery County. This graphic footage was shared before the decedent’s family had even been notified. Let me be clear, the video was not released by the Montgomery County Police Department.
Sharing this type of footage is not only disturbing, it’s u ethical and lacks professionalism. We urge our media partners to lead with compassion and responsibility. The individuals in these videos are not headline or clips. They are members of our community. They are people whose families are now forced to relive the worst moments over and over again, publicly.
We understand and respect the important role that responsible media plays in informing the public. But this was not journalism, this was a violation of basic human dignity.
At Montgomery County Police Department, we remain committed to transparency and working with our media partners. We are equally committed to compassion and protecting the indignity of those we serve, even in tragedy. We ask everyone, whether online or in person, to lead with empathy over attention. We encourage the public to follow our official social media pages and reach out to any of our district stations for accurate updates. Thank you for your continued support.
”
A message from Assistant Chief Nicholas Augustine, regarding a disturbing situation following the death of a pedestrian in Kensington.
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— Montgomery County Department of Police (@mcpnews)
July 17, 2025
