In re: Law enforcement agency recording sought by WHQR

Case Number: 26CV001055-640

Court: New Hanover Superior Court

Client: WHQR Public Media

Background: In November 2025, officers from the Wilmington Police Department and New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office arrested 37-year-old Corey Rayshaun Temoney on a public street. A roughly two-minute bystander video of the encounter was posted on Facebook and has been viewed more than 142,000 times.

The video appears to show that Temoney repeatedly said he is “not resisting” while at least four officers held Temoney’s head and body to the ground. While one officer held Temoney down, one sheriff’s deputy appeared to use his open palm to strike Temoney in the face and push his face into the asphalt. 

Temoney and other bystanders have said the officers’ use of force was excessive. Reporters for the Wilmington NPR member station WHQR have tried to gather information about the circumstances surrounding the arrest. But Temoney, witnesses, the arrest report, and a police spokesperson have inconsistent accounts of what happened, according to WHQR.

In trying to gather information about the encounter from the Wilmington Police Department and county sheriff’s office, “it’s been like a game of accountability hot potato between the two agencies,” said WHQR reporter Aaleah McConnell in a recent interview.

In February 2026, WHQR filed this petition for the release of all law enforcement body-worn camera recordings that document the incident. The news outlet is represented by Beth Soja, the Reporters Committee’s North Carolina-based attorney, and attorneys at the Duke Law School First Amendment Clinic.

The court scheduled a hearing on the petition for May 18, 2026. 

Quote: Bystander videos of police conduct “can be a powerful tool to hold law enforcement accountable, but they don’t always tell the whole story,” said WHQR News Director Ben Schachtman on a podcast episode about the incident. “A viral video is often the reason a journalist knows something happened, but the next steps are finding more information: looking for additional videos, talking to witnesses, and getting our hands on law enforcement video, like bodycam and dashcam recordings. … After reviewing (the bystander video of Temoney’s arrest), we had a lot of questions, and I’m sure the community and the family involved are looking for the same answers that we are.”

Co-counsel: Duke Law School First Amendment Clinic

Filings:

2026-02-13: Petition

2026-05-11: Memorandum in support of release