What really happened on New Year’s Day 2019 when North Carolina State Highway Patrol troopers shot and killed Brandon Webster?

For years, the official account of the shooting was accepted by law enforcement leaders, government officials, and the media. But behind the scenes, an internal investigation uncovered evidence showing that the trooper’s version of events could not have happened as reported. Despite those findings, both the Highway Patrol’s internal review and an investigation by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation ultimately upheld the official narrative.

This week, we’re joined by Joseph Neff of The Marshall Project, whose reporting exposed the contradictions, the buried evidence, and the troubling questions surrounding the investigations that followed Webster’s death. Together, we examine how official narratives take hold, why conflicting facts were ignored, and what this case reveals about accountability, transparency, and police oversight.

Listen as we unpack one of North Carolina’s most disturbing law enforcement cover-ups and the reporting that brought the truth to light.