This point is often argued. The next step is to gather all of the facts and analyze them thoroughly to develop a complete picture of what happened. Gather as many facts as possible. Obtain positive and negative information. Do not make ambiguous statements.
Physical evidence is the single-most important determinant of fact.
Once all of the facts are gathered, the time, place, method, and person selected to announce the agency official position on the controversy is almost as important as what is said. What is said should be determined by all of those parties who have reason and authority to make that decision. This may vary from agency to agency and, in some cases, incident to incident. A suggested grouping would be the chief of police, the primary investigator, the department person most closely associated with the segment of the community involved, and the officer involved in the incident. If criminal misconduct is involved, the officer is not included.