The recent high-profile deaths of unarmed blacks during
police operations shed light on the lack of data on police killings in the
United States.However, according to Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson a recent FBI Uniform Crime Report estimated that police officers committed 461 “justifiable homicides” in 2013.
Because of under-reporting, this figure is probably much
higher, he argued in a recent column, mentioning an estimate of 1,000 victims
per year according to a compilation of local news reports.The following is an example of cases where local police lethal force killing the blacks civilian's alleged crime, and how the officer attempted to resolve the situation before the killing;
April 2015: Walter Lamer Scott, 50, is shot eight times in
South Carolina as he runs away from Officer Michael Slager. Mr Scott dies at
the scene. The shooting is captured on video and Mr Slager is charged with
murder.
December 2014: Jerame Reid, 36, is shot dead during a
routine traffic stop in New Jersey. An officer claims Mr Reid was reaching for
a gun, but video footage seems to suggest he was attempting to step out of the
car, hands raised.
November 2014: Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old boy, is shot dead
in a playground by Cleveland police after a local resident reports he is
pointing a gun at passers by. The gun turns out to be a toy. A grand jury will
decide whether police will face charges.
August 2014: Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old, is shot
dead by Officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri. The shooting leads to
protests, first in Ferguson and later nationwide. A grand jury decides not to
charge Mr Wilson.
July 2014: Eric Garner, an asthma sufferer, is stopped by
police in New York and placed in a chokehold after refusing to be handcuffed.
He dies despite repeatedly telling officers he cannot breathe. No police are
charged.
March 2014: James Boyd, an unarmed homeless man camping in
Alberquerque, is shot dead by two officers. Video of the incident leads
prosecutors to say the officers acted with "deliberate intention" and
they are charged.
The issue was put on the agenda after police officers
recently killed unarmed black men in Ferguson, Missouri, New York City, and a
number of other cities across the United States.
The issue was put on the agenda after police officers
recently killed unarmed black men in Ferguson, Missouri, New York City, and a
number of other cities across the United States.
Legislation requiring the Justice Department to collect data
on the number of victims of police operations has been introduced by a United
States Democrat on Monday. U.S.
Representative Steve Cohen, a top Democrat in
the House Judiciary Committee, argued that this measure was necessary since the
Justice Department did not keep any record of police killings.
Source: BBC, Telesurtv
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