On Saturday evening, a woman in Minneapolis, Minnesota called 911 to report what she believed might be a sexual assault taking place in an alley close to her home. But when police arrived, an officer fatally shot her. Police have not explained what happened and the officers’ body cameras were turned off at the time. The woman, Justine Damond, was originally from Australia and lived in Minneapolis with her fiancé Don Damond.

Don Damond’s son, Zach, called Justine his best friend in a video posted on Facebook. He said that she called the police because she thought something bad was happening to someone else. “And then the next thing I know they take my best friend’s life,” he said. “I’m so done with all this violence. It’s so much bullsh*t. America sucks.”

Minneapolis Police said the shooting was not captured by the officers’ dashboard cameras and no one seems to know why the body cameras were turned off. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety is investigating the incident, but the investigation is only in its early stages. On Monday night, the county medical examiner said that the cause of death was a gunshot to the abdomen.

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the officer who shot Justine Damond is named Mohamed Noor. Three sources who spoke to the Star Tribune said that Justine Damond was outside in her pajamas talking to the officer in the driver’s seat of the police car, when Noor, who was sitting in the passenger seat, suddenly drew his weapon and shot her. No weapon was found at the scene.

Justine Damond planned to marry Don Damond next month. Her maiden name was Justine Ruszczyk, but she went as Justine Damond. She reportedly held dual citizenship in both the United States and Australia, as her father is a U.S. citizen.

On Sunday night, neighbors and others held a vigil at the scene of the shooting.

Vigil crowd swelled to 200 strong, all praying for Justine – the woman neighbors identified as who a MPD officer killed last night. @WCCO pic.twitter.com/uVOM61gRhD

— Jeff Wagner (@Jeff_Wagner4) July 16, 2017

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said that it has been assisting Justine Damond’s family in Sydney and released a statement on behalf of her family members. “This is a very difficult time for our family. We are trying to come to terms with this tragedy and to understand why this has happened,” it said.

Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges demanded answers from the police on Sunday. “As mayor of our city, a wife, and a grandmother, I am heartsick and deeply disturbed by what occurred last night,” she said. “There are still many questions about what took place, and while the investigation is still in its early stages, I am asking the BCA to release as much information, as quickly as they are able to.”

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Minneapolis Police Officer Killed an Australian Woman After She Called 911 appeared first on Law Street.

The Senate Health Care Bill Debate Continues

Yesterday, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released its analysis of the Senate health care bill, and said that 22 million people would lose health care coverage by 2026 if the new bill passes. In just one year, 15 million would be uninsured. Premiums and out-of-pocket expenses could increase dramatically for some low-income people and retirees. Also, the American Medical Association announced its opposition to the bill and said that it violates the long-standing medical principle of “first, do no harm.”

A few Republican senators have already said they will not vote for the bill–yesterday, Susan Collins and Rand Paul joined Dean Heller in standing against the bill. Others have expressed doubts. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had aimed for a vote on the bill before the July 4 recess, but it doesn’t seem like that will happen. However, the bill would reduce the federal deficit by $321 billion over 10 years. The White House slammed the CBO, claiming the nonpartisan organization is “unreliable.”

The GOP cajoling to vote for the Senate health bill is:

“Vote for this bill or if we’re not careful, everyone will have health care.” pic.twitter.com/kCaENJLkd8

— Andy Slavitt (@ASlavitt) June 27, 2017

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post RantCrush Top 5: June 27, 2017 appeared first on Law Street.

Minnesota authorities released thousands of documents as well as dashcam footage related to the traffic stop during which a police officer shot Philando Castile seven times in front of his girlfriend and her five-year-old daughter. The aftermath of the shooting was famously captured through Facebook Live last summer.

The files and other data related to the investigation were released on Friday following the acquittal of Officer Jeronimo Yanez on second-degree manslaughter. This was the first time in Minnesota history that an officer was charged in an on-duty fatal shooting, according to the New York Times, and the result seemingly set a chilling precedent that a black man must move his hands toward his legally-obtained firearm in a specific way that does not scare the police officer in order to avoid being shot.

While the newly-released dashcam footage raised its own questions about why Castile was shot at a traffic stop during which he was supposedly believed to be a suspect in a robbery, new concerns have come up after a photograph of Officer Yanez after the incident was released.

Officer Jeronimo Yanez pictured wearing “Police Lives Matter” bracelet, Philando Castile’s bloodied insurance card still in his pocket. pic.twitter.com/FrjfYjVXMU

— Tony Webster (@webster) June 20, 2017

“Police Lives Matter” of course is a bastardization of “Black Lives Matter,” the phrase based on the idea that black lives in the United States have been disregarded to the point where society as a whole needs to be reminded that they do indeed matter. The phrase, similar to “Blue Lives Matter,” rests on the idea that the lives of police officers are not valued enough in this country and is often used as a counter-argument to “Black Lives Matter.”

If anything, that movement has been arguably more successful than BLM. In addition to Officer Yanez’s acquittal–which was celebrated by a “Blue Lives Matter” Twitter account–state legislatures have passed, or attempted to pass, laws that would make murdering police officers a hate crime. Texas signed a “Blue Lives Matter” bill into law earlier this month, citing growing concerns from police officers of feeling less safe in the line of duty, despite a decades-long decline in the number of line of duty deaths, with only a third as a result of murder. States like Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah and West Virginia, most of which are led by Republicans, have also enacted similar laws providing more protection for police officers.

The number of people killed by police, on the other hand, reached a two-decade high in 2013 and has continued to increase since.

The photo also shows the possibility that the death of Philando Castile could have been avoided. On the left side of Officer Yanez’s belt sits a taser, an instrument that has been authorized by many police departments. While some may argue that the taser is either ineffective or not used often enough, it’s worth pointing out that complaints from tasered civilians seem common enough to warrant a page on a Minnesotan Civil Rights Lawyers’ site.

And activists and politicians alike have already reacted to the dashcam video that shows Yanez firing into Castile’s car less than one minute after the traffic stop with varying conclusions.

State Rep. Nick Zerwas (R-Elk River) called the video tough to watch, but added that the footage only reinforced how Yanez had a difficult split-second situation to make and explained the jury’s decision.

“It’s these very short but very clear verbal commands to not reach for it. And once you start down that path and the officer interprets noncompliance, it’s going to play out very, very quickly,” said Zerwas, who was named 2017 Legislator of the Year by the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association. “Looking at that video in context of all the information, you can see how the jury could reach that conclusion and understand why deliberations went on for all those days.”

“No, no, no,” said Tyrone Terrill, president of the state’s African-American Leadership Council, minutes after viewing the video. “You don’t have to remain calm on this one. You have a right to be outraged. You have a right to be angry. And I would be disappointed if you weren’t outraged, if you weren’t angry. It raises the question — how will you ever get a guilty verdict?”

What exactly happened inside Castile’s car after Officer Yanez arrived at the window will probably never be known. But what many are left with is the image of a police officer–whose actions eventually left another man dead–posing with paraphernalia supporting a belief that a person in his line of duty is not valued enough in society.

Editor’s Note: This article was updated on 6/22 to correct where Officer Yanez is from. 

Gabe Fernandez

Gabe is an editorial intern at Law Street. He is a Peruvian-American Senior at the University of Maryland pursuing a double degree in Multiplatform Journalism and Marketing. In his free time, he can be found photographing concerts, running around the city, and supporting Manchester United. Contact Gabe at Staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Officer Shot Philando Castile While Wearing “Police Lives Matter” Bracelet appeared first on Law Street.

In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court on Tuesday scrapped a ruling by a lower federal court that deemed otherwise reasonable force by a police officer unreasonable if the officer “intentionally or recklessly provokes a violent confrontation.” The justices sent the case back to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, leaving open a victory for the plaintiffs if the court can find wrongdoing on charges other than excessive force.

The case, County of Los Angeles vs. Mendez, involves an incident that took place in October 2010. Los Angeles County police officers were searching a residence for a parole violator who was at-large and apparently armed. A number of officers searched the main area while two deputies, Christopher Conley and Jennifer Pederson, burst into a shack in the back of the residence.

In the shack, a homeless couple, Angel Mendez and Jennifer Garcia, who was pregnant, were taking a nap underneath a heap of blankets. Mendez reached for a gun (later discovered to be a BB gun). Conley yelled “Gun!” and the deputies sprayed the couple with bullets.

Both lived, but Mendez had to get part of his leg amputated. Meanwhile, the parolee the officers were seeking was not found on the property. Mendez and Garcia sued the deputies and Los Angeles County on three Fourth Amendment claims: warrantless entry, knock-and-announce, and excessive force. The lower courts ruled in favor of the plaintiffs on all three counts, awarding the couple $4 million.

But the Supreme Court, in a 8-0 vote–Justice Neil Gorsuch had not been confirmed when the case was argued in March–vacated the lower courts’ excessive force ruling. In its ruling, the Ninth Circuit argued the officers’ use of force was reasonable, but because the two deputies provoked the situation, their actions were ultimately unreasonable. The justices disagreed with that outlook, halting the $4 million recovery for the plaintiffs.

“The basic problem with the provocation rule,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote, is that it “provides a novel and unsupported path to liability in cases in which the use of force was reasonable.” He said the Fourth Amendment “provides no basis for such a rule,” adding: “A different Fourth Amendment violation cannot transform a later, reasonable use of force into an unreasonable seizure.”

In a statement, the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs cheered the decision: “This invented rule put the lives of deputies into danger by causing them to hesitate in using reasonable force to defend themselves for fear of later civil liability,” it said.

Alito did allow, however, that the Ninth Circuit could still find reason to award damages to the plaintiffs. He wrote: “For example, if the plaintiffs in this case cannot recover on their excessive force claim, that will not foreclose recovery for injuries proximately caused by the warrantless entry.”

Alec Siegel

Alec Siegel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. When he’s not working at Law Street he’s either cooking a mediocre tofu dish or enjoying a run in the woods. His passions include: gooey chocolate chips, black coffee, mountains, the Animal Kingdom in general, and John Lennon. Baklava is his achilles heel. Contact Alec at ASiegel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Two LA Cops Who Shot a Homeless Couple appeared first on Law Street.

A South Carolina judge declared a mistrial Monday after jurors said they couldn’t reach a unanimous decision in the case of a white former police officer charged with killing an unarmed black man, Walter Scott.

The 53-year-old father of four had been stopped by North Charleston police officer Michael Slager because of a broken taillight in April 2015. According to Slager, a scuffle erupted and Scott took his stun gun. Scott then attempted to flee, and Slager shot him multiple times in the back while he was running away. He died on scene.

Feidin Santana, an eyewitness to the shooting, captured a video of the encounter with a cellphone and the footage soon went viral.

That THIS could not be declared “murder” in America should tell you EVERYTHING about our justice system. #WalterScott.

Just horrendous. pic.twitter.com/2mPnMXh84b

— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) December 5, 2016

Slager was charged with murder and released on a $500,000 bond in January 2016. He was later indicted on separate charges by a federal grand jury for deprivation of rights under the color of the law, use of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, and obstruction of justice.

Slager’s attorney argued that his client didn’t know whether Scott was armed or not and that he had acted out of fear for his own life. He said:

The officer never had a chance to pat him down for weapons, nor did he know the whereabouts of the passenger in the vehicle Scott was operating without a registration or insurance. Scott ran from a very minor traffic stop, and Slager had no knowledge why.

However, the cellphone video showed that Slager dropped a black object on the ground before firing. After shooting Scott, Slager is then seen picking up the object and placing it next to the lifeless body.

On Friday, the jury in the case said it hadn’t been able to reach a verdict, but the judge ordered them to keep deliberating until Monday. One juror in the case said he couldn’t make the decision to convict Michael Slager. Reportedly, he was the only member of the jury “having issues” and he wrote in a letter to the court, “I cannot and will not change my mind.” By Monday, the judge declared a mistrial.

The news left many people feeling hopeless.

My God #WalterScott. Feeling numb all over. It’s the ton of bricks one feels on their heart & head knowing we have been here before!

— Nina Turner (@ninaturner) December 5, 2016

#MichaelSlager killed a man who was no threat and ran from him, planted a Taser, LIED on the stand and still wasn’t convicted #WalterScott

— Scooby (@TheRealistDom) December 5, 2016

there are no words. #WalterScott‘s life mattered. if seeing him shot in the back wasn’t enough for a conviction how can we ever get justice?

— Franchesca Ramsey (@chescaleigh) December 5, 2016

Outrage erupted in North Charleston after the killing of Walter Scott, but residents’ anger intensified even more due to the racial imbalance clearly evident in the police force. Even though only 37 percent of the population is white, 80 percent of police officers are white.

Slager has reportedly been emotional and regretful during the trial.

“Going back 18 months later and looking at everything, things could have been different” he said. “My family has been destroyed by this. The Scott family has been destroyed by this. It’s horrible.”

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Mistrial Declared in Case Against Officer Who Killed Walter Scott appeared first on Law Street.

On Sunday, in four cities across the country, four police officers were shot; one died, and three others were wounded. In a press conference on Monday, the San Antonio police chief addressed the motive of the man who shot and killed a detective on his force, Benjamin Marconi: “I feel we were targeted,” said the police chief, William McManus. “I think the uniform was the target, and the first person who happened along was the target.”

Otis Tyrone McCain, 31, shot Marconi at point blank range as he was in his cruiser writing a traffic ticket on Sunday afternoon in San Antonio. As McCain was being escorted out of the police department after being arrested, he offered an explanation of why he killed Marconi: “Society not allowing me to see my son…I’ve been through several custody battles and I was upset at the situation I was in,” he said, saying he “lashed out at somebody who didn’t deserve it.” He added: “I’m sorry.”

Marconi, 50, was the 58th officer killed in 2016, which is on pace to be the deadliest year for officers since 2011. According to the non-profit group Officer Down Memorial Page, 1973 saw the most officers killed, with 144 officers killed while on duty. A number of police killings of unarmed citizens this year has sparked protests, outrage, and demands for reform. According to The Washington Post’s police shooting database, cops have shot and killed 844 people this year so far, including 16 unarmed African-Americans. For more information on officer deaths in the line of duty, check out Law Street’s Police in America coverage.

Sunday’s shootings, three of which were drive-by attacks, underscore the tense mood between officers and the communities they police. From Philando Castile in Minnesota to the ambush on police in Dallas, this year has seen a number of high profile police killings of unarmed black men, and of retaliation attacks on police.

On Monday, during his press conference addressing the killing of Marconi, who was on the force for 20 years, McManus, the San Antonio police chief said: “He was a great guy, a great investigator. He was just a solid guy and I can’t describe the loss to the police department and the community.”

Alec Siegel

Alec Siegel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. When he’s not working at Law Street he’s either cooking a mediocre tofu dish or enjoying a run in the woods. His passions include: gooey chocolate chips, black coffee, mountains, the Animal Kingdom in general, and John Lennon. Baklava is his achilles heel. Contact Alec at ASiegel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Police Chief on Detective Who Was Killed Sunday: “The Uniform Was the Target” appeared first on Law Street.

Over the weekend two police officers were shot and killed in Palm Springs, California. The suspect is 26-year-old John Felix who was taken into custody early Sunday morning after a standoff with police that lasted for several hours. The officers were responding to a disturbance call when the suspect allegedly started firing at the officers.

One of the officers killed was 63-year-old Jose Vega who had been in the force for 35 years and was two months away from retirement. The other was 27-year-old Lesley Zerebny who had just come back from maternity leave after giving birth to a daughter four months earlier. A third officer was injured but released from the hospital the same day.

According to a neighbor who spoke with the Associated Press, Felix’s father told her, “My son is inside and we’re scared, he’s acting crazy.” He added that they had called the police and that the son said he was going to shoot them. According to Police Chief Bryan Reyes, Felix refused to open the door for the officers and threatened to shoot through it. As they tried to speak to him he opened fire. More officers in tactical gear and an armored vehicle arrived and Felix barricaded himself inside the house. After a failed attempt to try to locate his exact position using robots, officers sent in a chemical agent that finally made him surrender. When he came out, he was wearing light body armor and carrying ammunition.

John Felix was a gang member who lived with his parents. He previously spent four years in prison for a gang-related murder attempt in 2009, for which he took a plea deal and admitted to assault with a firearm and connections to a gang. Felix was arrested three years ago at the same house as the one where the incident on Saturday occurred. He will be charged with two counts of first-degree murder as well as several additional felony counts.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a statement on Sunday:

Our nation’s heart is broken yet again by the appalling act of violence that claimed two brave law enforcement officers on Saturday. Officers Jose Gilbert Vega and Lesley Zerebny were at opposite ends of their careers, but they shared a steadfast devotion to the people they had sworn to serve.

According to AP, it had been 54 years since the last uniformed police officer killing in Palm Springs. Officer Vega was supposed to have the Saturday off but worked anyway. Officer Zerebny had returned early from maternity leave. It was just a matter of bad timing and bad luck that made the difference between life and death.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Father of Suspect in California Police Killings: He Wanted to Shoot the Police appeared first on Law Street.

Welcome to RantCrush Top 5, where we take you through today’s top five controversial stories in the world of law and policy. Who’s ranting and raving right now? Check it out below:

Congressman Lee Zeldin Drags Kaepernick Into Terrorism Debate

People on Twitter are wondering why New York congressman Lee Zeldin thought it was appropriate to bring Colin Kaepernick into the whole New York, New Jersey bomber situation.

After the FBI apprehended Ahmad Khan Ramahi yesterday morning, Lee Zeldin posted this on Twitter:

Suspect in custody. You are welcome Colin Kaepernick.

— Lee Zeldin (@leezeldin) September 19, 2016

His tweet sparked some confused and disapproving responses:

@leezeldin If only Kaepernick had stood for the anthem these past two weeks, we could have caught the terrorist 3 hours sooner probably.

— Alex Katz (@Alex__Katz) September 19, 2016

1+1 = kumquat https://t.co/6psueTQz9r

— Shers (@aubrihshark) September 19, 2016

Just did my job that I get paid for. You’re welcome, Colin Kaepernick

— Margaret Don’t-@wood (@DavidUzumeri) September 19, 2016

Rant Crush

RantCrush collects the top trending topics in the law and policy world each day just for you.

The post RantCrush Top 5: September 20, 2016 appeared first on Law Street.

A standoff with the police ended in the fatal shooting of a 23-year-old woman in Baltimore on Monday. Now authorities say she tried to live stream the event to Facebook and Instagram as it was happening. Her 5-year-old son was shot in the arm and is being treated at hospital.

Three police officers arrived at the apartment of Korryn Gaines and her boyfriend Kareem Courtney on Monday to serve them warrants–Gaines for failing to appear in court over a traffic violation, and Courtney for an assault case. But when the officers entered the apartment, Gaines threatened them with a shotgun while holding her son, Baltimore police Chief Jim Johnson told CNN on Tuesday.

What Happened

According to Johnson, the police retreated to the hallway. During the standoff, Courtney left the apartment with a 1-year-old toddler and was arrested. After that, the standoff with Gaines continued for a couple of hours, as Gaines captured and streamed the exchange on Facebook. She then said she would kill the police officers unless they left. Gunfire erupted between both sides and Gaines was fatally shot. It is unclear why the police fired the first shots instead of backing off or waiting for backup.

The question is why there is no body camera footage from the cops, since police officers in Baltimore have been equipped with body cams since May.

The Background

According to NBC, Gaines was pulled over in March for having a piece of cardboard fixated on her license plate that read: “Any government official who compromises this pursuit to happiness and right to travel, will be held criminally responsible and fined, as this is a natural right to freedom.”

She failed to appear in court for the March incident, which is why police came to her home on Monday. However, it is also questionable why three police officers would be required for a non-violent intervention like this.

Supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement reacted strongly on social media.

Police had at least 10 non lethal options they could've used with #KorrynGaines.

Guess how many they used before shooting her?

ZERO.

— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) August 3, 2016

But critics have questioned why Gaines should be labeled a hero when she threatened police officers with a gun while having her 5-year-old by her side.

Black privilege: the ability to use a 5 year old as a human shield against the police and still be labeled a hero by CNN.#KorrynGaines

— Right Wing Raven (@KazeSkyz) August 3, 2016

For those of you who claim the police had no other choice, but to shoot. #KorrynGaines https://t.co/UAYuNICQoU

— Sharhonda Bossier (@BossierS) August 2, 2016

Police asked Facebook and Instagram to deactivate Gaines’s accounts during the standoff to facilitate the negotiating. Reportedly, her followers asked her to not comply with the officers. The Facebook video was removed, but the short videos she posted before that on her Instagram account are still online.

The spokeswoman for Baltimore County Police Elise Armacost told reporters that she didn’t think the shooting had anything to do with race.

“There was every attempt by the negotiators to calm her and encourage her to leave the apartment peacefully,” she said. “I think if the same situation evolved with a person of any race or ethnicity we would have the same outcome.”

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Police Standoff in Baltimore Kills Mother, Wounds 5-Year-Old Son appeared first on Law Street.

It happened again–a cellphone video circulating on social media shows police shooting a black man at close range, only hours after Independence Day celebrations ebbed. Early Tuesday morning Alton Sterling, 37, was shot and killed when pinned to the ground by two police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

According to reports from Louisiana police an anonymous person called 911 and said that a man selling CDs outside the grocery store had threatened him with a gun. Police arrived at the scene, tasered Sterling and wrestled him to the ground.

The cellphone video shows how seconds later someone says, “He’s got a gun.” This led the officers to shoot Sterling even though he was already lying on the ground. It was later confirmed he was shot multiple times in the chest and the back, sparking outrage on social media and protests in Baton Rouge.

This is the video.

Executed in cold blood https://t.co/BWJVRQr1qU #AltonSterling

— Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) July 6, 2016

A Man, a Father, a Husband, a Black Man, an American, shot while laying on his back. Tell me why Again? Heaven Help us All #AltonSterling

— LeVelle Moton (@LeVelleMoton) July 6, 2016

According to local media, residents who took to the streets accepted the fact that the same civil unrest and race-focused protests that have grown in other cities have now arrived in Baton Rouge. In Baton Rouge the African-American population is divided from the white, in many cases living in separate neighborhoods and under the poverty line.

Even though protesters stopped traffic and no police officers were in sight, the protests were largely non-violent and controlled.

The #AltonSterling aftermath pic.twitter.com/PPvSuiEtaz

— Avi (@RecklessAvi_) July 6, 2016

Alton Sterling was a father of three and sold his CDs in front of the convenience store. The owner Abdullah Muflahi told CNN that they had known each other for six years and that he never saw any argument between Sterling and someone else. He also never saw the gun-waving incident that allegedly was called in to 911.

“Pretty much everybody who knows him knows he’s a sweet person,” Sterling’s sister, Mignon Chambers, said to WVLA-TV.

Sterling’s family spoke at a press conference about the shooting:

This must stop. Enough!RT @CNN: "I want my daddy": #AltonSterling’s 15-year-old son in tears https://t.co/6PcxaxmfXC https://t.co/pP1CgsU3Mq

— Kristin Diable (@kristindiable) July 6, 2016

The shooting comes a little more than a week after the actor Jesse Williams gave a speech at the BET Awards on racism, and urged listeners to not accept police brutality. According to CNN, the police officers involved in Sterling’s death are now on administrative leave.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Police Shooting of Alton Sterling Sparks Protests in Baton Rouge appeared first on Law Street.

On Monday, the city of Cleveland agreed to pay a $6 million settlement to the family of Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old black boy who was shot by a white police office in November 2014. Sadly, the case’s conclusion was overshadowed by an open letter from the Cleveland police union suggesting that the Rice family use the money to educate kids on gun safety.

Stephen Loomis, the president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association, released the following letter to the media Monday in response to the settlement.

Cleveland’s police union president hopes #TamirRice‘s family uses part of the settlement to educate kids about guns pic.twitter.com/9sfYIOdSH2

— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) April 25, 2016

The letter in full reads:

We have maintained from the onset this has been an absolute tragedy for the Rice family as well as our involved Officers and their families. Our hearts continue to be with them.

We can only hope the Rice family and their attorneys will use a portion of this settlement to help educate the youth of Cleveland in the dangers associated with the mishandling of both real and facsimile firearms. Something positive must come from this tragic loss. That would be educating youth of the dangers of possessing a real or replica firearm.

We look forward to the possibility of working with the Rice family to achieve this common goal.

The letter is clearly referencing the fact that the officers involved in Tamir’s death, Officers Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmback, had mistook the “realistic looking” toy pellet gun he was holding for a real firearm.

Loehmann and Garmback had responded to the Cudell Recreation Center on November 22, 2014 after receiving a 911 call stating that a “black male was sitting on a swing pointing a gun at people.” The caller told the dispatcher that the gun was “probably fake” and the male was “probably a juvenille,” but that information was never relayed.

It resulted in Loehmann shooting Tamir within two seconds of exiting his squad car. A grand jury decided not to indict Loehmann on criminal charges, but the family’s wrongful death lawsuit alleged that the city was negligent in Tamir’s death.

Following the shooting, Loomis had made several controversial comments effectively blaming Tamir for his own death, with an emphasis on the perceived threat that toy guns pose to officers.

Cleveland.com received an email statement from Subodh Chandra, an attorney representing the Rice family, blasting Loomis’ “victim blaming” themed release. Chandra said Loomis’ comment, “reflect all that is wrong with Cleveland’s police division — he managed to (1) blame the victim, (2) equate the loss of the life of a 12-year-old child with the officers facing scrutiny, and (3) demand money from the victim’s family and counsel.”

He went on to add,

Loomis’s continued posturing shows he and the union still don’t comprehend that the police division needs a cultural change — not hiring incompetents, better training, and greater accountability.

Despite Loomis’s comments, the settlement was a small victory for the family who will never receive proper compensation for death of Tamir. As far as the settlement specifics go, the city will have to pay $3 million of the settlement this year, and another $3 million next year. Of that $6 million settlement, $5.5 million of it will actually be awarded to the estate to be divided among family members.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Police Union Hopes Rice Family Uses $6M Settlement for Gun Education appeared first on Law Street.

Chicago erupted into protests Tuesday night following the release of video footage showing the fatal shooting of a black teenager by a white police officer. Hundreds marched through the streets of Chicago’s loop, clogging intersections and chanting “16 shots” in reference to the total number of shots fired into 17-year-old Laquan McDonald by Officer Jason Van-Dyke.

The protests were relatively peaceful in comparison to the violent unrest that unfolded in Ferguson and Baltimore, however, there were five arrests related to incidents of resisting arrest and assaulting police officers. According to CNN, the city had been preparing for protests after a judge ruled the video must be released no later than Wednesday. Freelance journalist Brandon Smith filed a lawsuit against the Chicago Police Department over the summer to make the footage public.

The dashboard cam footage captured police as they responded to a call of a man wielding a knife on October 20, 2014. In the video, when the police car filming the incident arrives on scene, McDonald is seen walking away from police in the middle of a street with the apparent knife in hand. Then seconds later you see him spin around and fall to the ground after being shot, despite never seeming to threaten officers. Van-Dyke, who was reportedly the only officer to fire shots at him, then continued to fire shots at the teen while he was lying on the ground. According to the coroner’s autopsy report, only two out of the 16 shots could be linked to when McDonald was standing.

@HildebrandtSam: Autopsy diagram for Laquan McDonald released by Cook County Med Examiners Office #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/05p4GY5pS3

— Sam Hildebrandt (@HildebrandtSam) November 24, 2015

You can watch a portion of the video footage below.

Warning: Contains Graphic Material

Officer Van-Dyke, 37, turned himself into the authorities early Tuesday and was charged with first-degree murder in the death of McDonald. According to Vox, civilians have filed a total of 18 complaints against him since 2001, but he was never disciplined. He is currently being held without bond, and claims he fired his gun “in fear of his own life.” But news of the officer’s arrest didn’t stop hundreds of people from flooding Chicago’s streets in protest.

Here are some photos of last night’s protests shared on Twitter.

#LaquanMcDonald Eisenhower Expressway blockage pic.twitter.com/hpYDUHFMm1 — Sam Charles (@samjcharles) November 25, 2015

I wonder if he ever dreamed he’d see his name in lights. Certainly not like this. Rest in power, #LaquanMcDonald. pic.twitter.com/RuALBuahZE — Ava DuVernay (@AVAETC) November 25, 2015

Activists march thru Loop after release of #LaquanMcDonald shooting video. Brief scuffles, mainly peaceful. pic.twitter.com/tuIvL3ubXT — The Chicago Reporter (@ChicagoReporter) November 25, 2015

Aerial view of Chicago protesters blocking traffic on I-290 via @ABC #LaquanMcDonald. Live: https://t.co/e7ex0g3Qip pic.twitter.com/Ddp5nfoRsf — Brittany Levine (@brittanylevine) November 25, 2015

Prominent Chicago activist and protest organizer Malcolm London, 22, was one of the five people arrested during the protests. He is being charged with one count of felony assault, after police say he hit an officer in the 100 block of East Balbo Avenue near Grant Park. As a result #FreeMalcolmLondon was trending nationally on Wednesday as people called for his release.

.@MalcolmLondon calls for the firing of police superintendent Garry McCarthy. #LaquanMcDonald pic.twitter.com/42MDpQ0lp2 — Kelly Hayes (@MsKellyMHayes) November 25, 2015

The city is currently bracing for more protests as backlash over the footage ramps up. As for the McDonald family, the Chicago city council awarded them a $5 million settlement in April over his death. Now they are urging Chicagoans to react peacefully instead of resorting to violence.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

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In light of recent high profile police killings such as those of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri last August, Eric Garner in Staten Island, and 12-year-old Tamir Rice in Cleveland, Ohio, a national discussion has developed about the force used by police officers against American citizens. In the most recent development in that discussion, President Obama called for all police shootings to be reported to the federal government so that kind of information is readily available and transparent.

This call comes after Obama’s December 2014 recommendation to establish the “Task Force on 21st Century Policing.” According to the White House,

The task force will examine how to strengthen public trust and foster strong relationships between local law enforcement and the communities that they protect, while also promoting effective crime reduction.

The task force will engage with federal, state, tribal, and local officials; technical advisors; young leaders; and nongovernmental organizations to provide a transparent process to engage with the public.

The task force is chaired by Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey and Laurie Robinson, a criminology professor at George Mason University who was formerly an Assistant Attorney General for the DOJ office of Justice Programs.

That task force has now come back to the President with its recommendations–the suggestion that police forces be required to report their shootings is just one of them. This comes after multiple high profile officials had made similar statements about the necessity of recording the incidences of police shootings. Attorney General Eric Holder expressed a similar sentiment in mid January when he stated in a speech,

I’ve heard from a number of people who have called on policymakers to ensure better record-keeping on injuries and deaths that occur at the hands of police. I’ve also spoken with law enforcement leaders — including the leadership of the Fraternal Order of Police — who have urged elected officials to consider strategies for collecting better data on officer fatalities. Today, my response to these legitimate concerns is simple: We need to do both.

FBI head James Comey made similar statements in a speech at Georgetown University a few weeks ago when he stated, “It’s ridiculous that I can’t tell you how many people were shot by the police in this country last week, last year, the last decade – it’s ridiculous.”

There isn’t any information yet about how the reporting of police shootings and force will be handled–whether it will go through the FBI or some other agency is yet to be seen.

This recommendation from the task force comes as that conversation about police shootings continues in the U.S. Last night, a video of a Los Angeles Police Department officer fatally shooting a homeless man went viral.

Here’s the video, although fair warning–it’s pretty brutal and graphic:

Officers claim that it was a struggle over one of the cop’s guns, and it very well may have been, but either way it’s a disturbing video in which deadly force is used very quickly. The conversation about police shootings in the United States is very far from over–a database may be able to be used to help make that conversation even more productive.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Task Force Calls for Police Shootings to be Reported to Federal Government appeared first on Law Street.

It looks like a toy, resembling a large ping pong ball, but this bright orange device is actually the newest “less lethal” ammunition option for police in pressure situations. Developed by a company out of California called Alternative Ballistics, The Alternative is marketed as an easily accessible attachment for police officers to use that doesn’t actually penetrate its target, only stalls it.

This week, five Ferguson, Missouri police officers will begin to train using the device, with the department planning to introduce it to its entire force of 55 officers.

Ferguson police first in U.S. to test new ‘less-lethal’ bullet called “the Alternative” http://t.co/e27NlZ9mmm

— Kirsten Danis (@kirstendanis) February 4, 2015

This “less lethal” option would allow police in situations where lethal force is already presumably justified to cause their target serious pain with less internal injury. In seconds the device can be mounted on the top of the gun without any obstruction to the sight of its operator. According to the company’s website:

Once the weapon is fired, the bullet embeds itself inside the projectile with no chance of escaping, simultaneously transferring the bullet’s energy, propelling it directly at the target. Once the bullet is fired from the gun into the projectile they permanently become one unit. The docking unit will automatically eject from the weapon and the firearm returns to its normal function before it cycles in a new round.

Since the gun returns to its normal functionality after the one-time round is released, officers can still use their weapons for lethal force if necessary.

You can watch a video of The Alternative in action below.

The main point of The Alternative is that it gives its user a choice. A choice that may have come in handy in the controversial shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager who was fatally shot by a white police officer. Brown is just one of several victims who has thrust American police procedures under a microscope.This is likely the reason why the Ferguson Police Department is the first in the U.S. to test the $45-per-unit device.

According to the Washington Post, Al Eickhoff, assistant chief of the Ferguson police, had begun researching less lethal options about a month after Brown’s fatal shooting by now-former Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson on August 9, 2014.

But is this a viable option? Those seconds it takes for an officer to pull the device out from a side holster and place it on the barrel of a gun could be life threatening. Steve Ijames, a former Springfield, Missouri police major and training expert thinks that may be the case, telling the Post:

I am all about less lethal. What bothers me is we will allow an officer to face immediate deadly jeopardy with a less-lethal round. Deadly force is the most likely thing to repel deadly force.

The Alternative is hardly the only non-lethal option on the market. Officers have an arsenal of weapons such as tasers, bean bag-loaded shotguns, pepper-filled pellets, rubber-coated bullets, and stun grenades from which to choose. But if this ping pong-looking pellet takes off, it could end up being a favorite.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Ferguson Police Testing “Less Lethal” Bullet Alternative appeared first on Law Street.

On Saturday, December 20, Ismaaiyl Brinsley shot and killed two NYPD officers in their patrol car, then proceeded to commit suicide with the same gun on the platform of a nearby subway station. The officers, Wenjian Liu, 32, and Rafael Ramos, 40, were shot in the head and upper body by Brinsley’s semiautomatic handgun. Although this shooting occurred outside of recent protests in the city, which have been almost completely nonviolent, tensions between the NYPD, protesters, local communities, and politicians continue to grow.

Brinsley boarded a bus from Baltimore to New York on Saturday morning with the intention to kill police officers, an intention that he expressed on social media that morning.  He posted a picture of a silver handgun on Instagram with the caption, “I’m Putting Wings On Pigs Today. They Take 1 Of Ours…Let’s Take 2 of Theirs.” He also referenced the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner in the same post.

After arriving in Manhattan, he made his way to Brooklyn where he ambushed Liu and Ramos.  In a press conference with Mayor de Blasio, Police Commissioner Bill Bratton responded to the murders saying, “quite simply they were assassinated.”

Earlier that morning Brinsley got into a fight with his ex-girlfriend, Shaneka Nicole Thompson, in Baltimore. The argument ended after Brinsley shot Thompson in the stomach, stole her phone, and fled the scene according to Baltimore County Police. As of Sunday, Thomson was in critical, but stable, condition in a local Baltimore hospital. A friend of Thompson’s notified Baltimore police later that day after seeing Brinsley’s Instagram photo, and an alert was sent to the NYPD shortly before the Brinsley killed Liu and Ramos.

Acting Alone

It is important to realize that Brinsley was not a participant in recent protests in New York, and his actions do not represent a departure from the peaceful methods employed up to this point. Instead, Brinsley was a man with a long history of arrests and a record of mental issues. He was arrested 19 times for various minor offenses, many of which included firearms, the Washington Post reported. In 2011, he received a two-year sentence in a Georgia prison for felony gun possession, though his actual release date is difficult to determine.

According to relatives, Ismaaiyl Brinsley was on medication for a brief period and he admitted to being under the care of a psychiatrist or in a mental institution during a court hearing. His family further noted that he likely had some undiagnosed mental issues and according to his sister, he was “an emotionally troubled kid. He needed help and didn’t get it.” The police have identified an increasingly aggressive social media history, which became particularly antigovernment and antipolice in recent weeks. Relatives also told authorities that Brinsley attempted to hang himself a year ago.

Tensions Mount

The murders of Officers Liu and Ramos have intensified the debate between protesters, the police, and city officials. The president of the NYPD’s largest union, Patrick Lynch, said that the murders are the result of the recent protests and Mayor de Blasio’s response. According to Lynch, “there is blood on many hands, from those that incited violence under the guise of protest to try to tear down what police officers did every day.”

Supporters of the police argue that since Eric Garner decision, Mayor de Blasio has not sufficiently assisted police officers. From meeting with protest groups to taking a hard line against police misconduct and brutality, many disagree with the mayor’s treatment of the police. In fact, a group of officers publicly turned their backs on the mayor before a press conference on Saturday night.

Whether or not you agree with the protesters or the police, arguing that recent nonviolent protests caused the deaths of two police officers is completely off base. The evidence revealed so far indicates that the shooter acted alone. Brinsley, who had a long arrest record and a troubled history, was not compelled to kill two police officers by peaceful activism. While recent events may have created tension between police officers and communities, connecting them to an unwarranted act of violence is simply unjustified.

Instead, we should see the recent shooting for what it is–the act of a man with a long criminal history and mental health problems. Arguing that Brinsley shot two police officers because of protests fails to explain why he also shot his ex-girlfriend that same morning. Brinsley was clearly a troubled man, and while that does not come close to justifying his actions, it does indicate that what he did does not extend beyond himself. Recent protests may have brought the issue to public consciousness as they intended to do–they represent one response to a set of events. Other reactions, specifically violent ones, represent an unrelated and unjustified response.

Recent protests in New York raise opposition to a legitimate issue–police violence–and attempt to open up a dialogue with the police and local officials. Both supporters and critics alike should at least acknowledge the movement’s nonviolent nature. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but conflating violence with recent protests will only serve to make matters worse. Civil rights leaders have already denounced the killings. While some may disagree with their decision not to heed Mayor de Blasio’s call to pause demonstrations until after the officers’ funerals, the fact is that this shooting was an unrelated event.

The deaths of officers Liu and Ramos truly are tragedies. Regardless of context, any act of such unwarranted violence can never be condoned. Americans should be able to mourn their deaths as well as the death of Eric Garner at the same time without feeling any tension between the two. Being opposed to police misconduct is not the same as being antipolice, and supporting the police does not mean you should ignore their mistakes.

Kevin Rizzo

Kevin Rizzo is the Crime in America Editor at Law Street Media. An Ohio Native, the George Washington University graduate is a founding member of the company. Contact Kevin at krizzo@LawStreetMedia.com.

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