Officer Michael Slager

Perpetrator

Victim

Date:

April 4, 2015

Location:

North Charleston, South Carolina


What happened:

Walter Lamar Scott was murdered on on April 4, 2015, in North Charleston, South Carolina, following a daytime traffic stop for a non-functioning brake light. North Charleston Patrolman, Michael Slager was arrested and charged with murder after shooting unarmed “Walter Lamar” Scott man in the back. Slager was only charged with murder after a video surfaced which showed him shooting Scott from behind while Scott was fleeing, and which contradicted his police report. Slager claimed he was pursuing Scott for driving with a broken brake light. Many critics also called for the prosecution of Clarence Habersham, the second officer seen in the video, alleging an attempted cover-up and questioning “whether Habersham omitted significant information from his report.” Slager was named in a police complaint in 2013 for allegedly using a Taser on a man without cause. Slager was cleared by the police department over the incident while the victim and several witnesses said they were not interviewed. Following the Scott killing, North Charleston police stated they would re-review the 2013 complaint. Slager was named in a second tasing-without-cause complaint following an August 2014 police stop. A complaint filed in January 2015 resulted in Slager being cited for failing to file a report.


About The Perpetrator:


About The Victim:


Outcome:

In June 2015, a South Carolina grand jury indicted Slager on a charge of murder. He was released on bond in January 2016. In late 2016, a five-week, state murder trial ended in a mistrial due to a hung jury. In May 2016, Slager was indicted on federal charges including violation of Scott’s civil rights and obstruction of justice. On May 2, 2017, in a plea agreement, Slager pled guilty to federal charges of civil rights violations. In return for his guilty plea, murder charges from the state were dropped. The guilty plea carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. In an extremely rare turn of justice for victims of unarmed police shootings, Michael Slager was given a 20 year sentence on Thursday December 7, 2017, for second degree murder and obstruction of justice. Officials in North Charleston, S.C., reached a $6.5 million settlement with the family of Walter Scott. Sources: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/oct/08/police-sued-for-using-stun-gun-on-man-after-smashing-car-window https://www.cnn.com/2017/12/07/us/michael-slager-sentencing/index.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2015/10/08/north-charleston-reaches-6-5-million-settlement-with-walter-scotts-family/?utm_term=.539960f93183


Michael Thomas Slager is a white male, age 33 at the time he murdered Walter Lamar Scott.

He was born November 14, 1981 and served in the North Charleston Police Department (NCPD) for five years and five months prior to the shooting. Before becoming a police officer, he served in the U.S. Coast Guard.

Victim: Sean Bell

Perpetrator

Victim

Date:

November 25 2006

Location:

Queens, New York


What happened:

Sean Bell was shot in the New York City borough of Queens, New York, United States, on November 25, 2006 after celebrating a bachelor party with friends. Sean Bell was then murdered on the morning before his wedding in a 50 bullet barrage by a team of both plainclothes and undercover NYPD officers. Two of Bell’s friends, Trent Benefield and Joseph Guzman, were also severely wounded in the 50 bullet barrage. Michael Oliver fired 31 shots and even stopped to reload. Mr. Bell was killed as he sat in the driver’s seat. Trent Benefield, 23, who was in the passenger seat, was struck three times, in the leg and buttock, and Mr. Guzman, 31, who was in a back seat, had at least 11 bullet wounds along his right side, from his neck to his feet. All victims were unarmed. Standard Police Department procedures call for the suspension of officers who are charged with a crime, and the three detectives were ordered to surrender their shields. All five officers were placed on paid leave without their weapons.


About The Perpetrator:


About The Victim:


Outcome:

On March 16, 2007, three city police officers were indicted in the killing of 23 year old, Sean Bell. It is unclear whether Richard A. Brown, the Queens district attorney, sought the indictment of the other two officers who fired at Mr. Bell, Detective Paul Headley, 35, who fired one shot, and Officer Michael Carey, 26, who fired three shots. All five of the officers testified voluntarily before the grand jury without immunity from prosecution. Detectives Isnora and Oliver faced the most charges: first- and second-degree manslaughter, with a possible sentence of 25 years in prison; felony assault, first and second degree; and a misdemeanor, reckless endangerment, with a possible one-year sentence. Detective Oliver also faced a second count of first-degree assault. Detective Cooper was charged only with two counts of reckless endangerment. The seven-week trial, which ended on April 14, 2008 was heard by Justice Cooperman after the defendants waived their right to a jury, a strategy some lawyers called risky at the time. But it clearly paid off. Detectives Michael Oliver and Gescard Isnora– were found not guilty of charges of manslaughter, assault and reckless endangerment in the death of Sean Bell, 23, and the wounding of two of his friends. Detective Cooper was also found not guilty of reckless endangerment. On May 18, 2010, U.S. District Judge Sterling Johnson, Jr. of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York lifted a stay on the civil lawsuit brought by Nicole Paultre Bell against the City of New York. On July 27, 2010, a settlement was reached. New York City agreed to pay Sean Bell’s family $3.25 million. Joseph Guzman, 34, who uses a cane and a leg brace and has four bullets lodged in his body was to receive $3 million, and Trent Benefield, 26, was to receive $900,000. The total amount of the settlement was $7.15 million. Paultre Bell said, “I believe the settlement is fair, but the most important thing is that our fight, my fight, doesn’t end here. No amount of money can provide closure.” New York City Corporation Counsel stated, “The city regrets the loss of life in this tragic case, and we share our deepest condolences with the Bell family.” The head of the New York City Detectives Endowment Association said he thought the settlement was “a joke”. “The detectives were exonerated … and now the taxpayer is on the hook for $7 million, and the attorneys are in line to get $2 million, without suffering a scratch.” Guzman said the settlement did not change the underlying reality that the lives of black and Hispanic men were not worth much in New York; he said that the incident was bound to be repeated

Sources:


Sean Bell was an African American male, 23 years of age, unarmed and murdered the night before his wedding.

Officer Michael Carey

Perpetrator

Victim

Date:

November 25 2006

Location:

Queens, New York


What happened:

Sean Bell was shot in the New York City borough of Queens, New York, United States, on November 25, 2006 after celebrating a bachelor party with friends. Sean Bell was then murdered on the morning before his wedding in a 50 bullet barrage by a team of both plainclothes and undercover NYPD officers. Two of Bell’s friends, Trent Benefield and Joseph Guzman, were also severely wounded in the 50 bullet barrage. Michael Oliver fired 31 shots and even stopped to reload. Mr. Bell was killed as he sat in the driver’s seat. Trent Benefield, 23, who was in the passenger seat, was struck three times, in the leg and buttock, and Mr. Guzman, 31, who was in a back seat, had at least 11 bullet wounds along his right side, from his neck to his feet. All victims were unarmed. Standard Police Department procedures call for the suspension of officers who are charged with a crime, and the three detectives were ordered to surrender their shields. All five officers were placed on paid leave without their weapons.


About The Perpetrator:


About The Victim:


Outcome:

On March 16, 2007, three city police officers were indicted in the killing of 23 year old, Sean Bell. It is unclear whether Richard A. Brown, the Queens district attorney, sought the indictment of the other two officers who fired at Mr. Bell, Detective Paul Headley, 35, who fired one shot, and Officer Michael Carey, 26, who fired three shots. All five of the officers testified voluntarily before the grand jury without immunity from prosecution. Detectives Isnora and Oliver faced the most charges: first- and second-degree manslaughter, with a possible sentence of 25 years in prison; felony assault, first and second degree; and a misdemeanor, reckless endangerment, with a possible one-year sentence. Detective Oliver also faced a second count of first-degree assault. Detective Cooper was charged only with two counts of reckless endangerment. The seven-week trial, which ended on April 14, 2008 was heard by Justice Cooperman after the defendants waived their right to a jury, a strategy some lawyers called risky at the time. But it clearly paid off. Detectives Michael Oliver and Gescard Isnora– were found not guilty of charges of manslaughter, assault and reckless endangerment in the death of Sean Bell, 23, and the wounding of two of his friends. Detective Cooper was also found not guilty of reckless endangerment. Officer Carey testified that he opened fire after he heard Isnora yell ‘Gun!’ and was cleared of all departmental charges. The only discipline that Officer Carey faced was from the department, which sought to try him on charges that he failed to comply with departmental guidelines in firing his gun. Detective Gescard Isnora was the only officer involved who was terminated outright with no pension or benefits. He was found to have violated department guidelines by firing his weapon while undercover. Sources say he works for the Detectives Endowment Association as a civilian and has tentative plans to sue the NYPD over the pension he was denied. Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/17/nyregion/17grand.html http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/26/nyregion/26BELL.html http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/nyregion/27bell.html?em&ex=1209441600&en=ebc2b423bdbf4537&ei=5087


Officer Michael Carey is White.

Detective Marc Cooper

Perpetrator

Victim

Date:

November 25 2006

Location:

Queens, New York


What happened:

Sean Bell was shot in the New York City borough of Queens, New York, United States, on November 25, 2006 after celebrating a bachelor party with friends. Sean Bell was then murdered on the morning before his wedding in a 50 bullet barrage by a team of both plainclothes and undercover NYPD officers. Two of Bell’s friends, Trent Benefield and Joseph Guzman, were also severely wounded in the 50 bullet barrage. Michael Oliver fired 31 shots and even stopped to reload. Mr. Bell was killed as he sat in the driver’s seat. Trent Benefield, 23, who was in the passenger seat, was struck three times, in the leg and buttock, and Mr. Guzman, 31, who was in a back seat, had at least 11 bullet wounds along his right side, from his neck to his feet. All victims were unarmed. Standard Police Department procedures call for the suspension of officers who are charged with a crime, and the three detectives were ordered to surrender their shields. All five officers were placed on paid leave without their weapons.


About The Perpetrator:


About The Victim:


Outcome:

On March 16, 2007, three city police officers were indicted in the killing of 23 year old, Sean Bell. It is unclear whether Richard A. Brown, the Queens district attorney, sought the indictment of the other two officers who fired at Mr. Bell, Detective Paul Headley, 35, who fired one shot, and Officer Michael Carey, 26, who fired three shots. All five of the officers testified voluntarily before the grand jury without immunity from prosecution. Detectives Isnora and Oliver faced the most charges: first- and second-degree manslaughter, with a possible sentence of 25 years in prison; felony assault, first and second degree; and a misdemeanor, reckless endangerment, with a possible one-year sentence. Detective Oliver also faced a second count of first-degree assault. Detective Cooper was charged only with two counts of reckless endangerment. The seven-week trial, which ended on April 14, 2008 was heard by Justice Cooperman after the defendants waived their right to a jury, a strategy some lawyers called risky at the time. But it clearly paid off. Detectives Michael Oliver and Gescard Isnora– were found not guilty of charges of manslaughter, assault and reckless endangerment in the death of Sean Bell, 23, and the wounding of two of his friends. Detective Cooper was also found not guilty of reckless endangerment. Cooper fired five shots during the incident. Like most of the officers involved in the shooting, Cooper left the NYPD with his pension intact and will $55,000 a year pension and an annual $12,000 supplement.

Sources:


Marc Cooper is an African American male.

Detective Gescard Isnora

Perpetrator

Victim

Date:

November 25 2006

Location:

Queens, New York


What happened:

Sean Bell was shot in the New York City borough of Queens, New York, United States, on November 25, 2006 after celebrating a bachelor party with friends. Sean Bell was then murdered on the morning before his wedding in a 50 bullet barrage by a team of both plainclothes and undercover NYPD officers. Two of Bell’s friends, Trent Benefield and Joseph Guzman, were also severely wounded in the 50 bullet barrage. Michael Oliver fired 31 shots and even stopped to reload. Mr. Bell was killed as he sat in the driver’s seat. Trent Benefield, 23, who was in the passenger seat, was struck three times, in the leg and buttock, and Mr. Guzman, 31, who was in a back seat, had at least 11 bullet wounds along his right side, from his neck to his feet. All victims were unarmed. Standard Police Department procedures call for the suspension of officers who are charged with a crime, and the three detectives were ordered to surrender their shields. All five officers were placed on paid leave without their weapons.


About The Perpetrator:


About The Victim:


Outcome:

On March 16, 2007, three city police officers were indicted in the killing of 23 year old, Sean Bell. It is unclear whether Richard A. Brown, the Queens district attorney, sought the indictment of the other two officers who fired at Mr. Bell, Detective Paul Headley, 35, who fired one shot, and Officer Michael Carey, 26, who fired three shots. All five of the officers testified voluntarily before the grand jury without immunity from prosecution. Detectives Isnora and Oliver faced the most charges: first- and second-degree manslaughter, with a possible sentence of 25 years in prison; felony assault, first and second degree; and a misdemeanor, reckless endangerment, with a possible one-year sentence. Detective Oliver also faced a second count of first-degree assault. Detective Cooper was charged only with two counts of reckless endangerment. The seven-week trial, which ended on April 14, 2008 was heard by Justice Cooperman after the defendants waived their right to a jury, a strategy some lawyers called risky at the time. But it clearly paid off. Detectives Michael Oliver and Gescard Isnora– were found not guilty of charges of manslaughter, assault and reckless endangerment in the death of Sean Bell, 23, and the wounding of two of his friends. Detective Cooper was also found not guilty of reckless endangerment. Detective Gescard Isnora was the only officer involved who was terminated outright with no pension or benefits. He was found to have violated department guidelines by firing his weapon while undercover. Sources say he works for the Detectives Endowment Association as a civilian and has tentative plans to sue the NYPD over the pension he was denied.

Source:


Detective Gescard Isnora is an African American.

Detective Michael Oliver

Perpetrator

Victim

Date:

November 25, 2006

Location:


What happened:

Of the 50 shots fired by police at the unarmed groom-to-be and his pals in Queens on Nov. 25, 2006, Oliver fired 31, and even stopped to reload. Sean Bell was shot in the New York City borough of Queens, New York, United States, on November 25, 2006 after celebrating a bachelor party with friends. Sean Bell was then murdered on the morning before his wedding in a 50 bullet barrage by a team of both plainclothes and undercover NYPD officers. Two of Bell’s friends, Trent Benefield and Joseph Guzman, were also severely wounded in the 50 bullet barrage. Michael Oliver fired 31 shots and even stopped to reload. Mr. Bell was killed as he sat in the driver’s seat. Trent Benefield, 23, who was in the passenger seat, was struck three times, in the leg and buttock, and Mr. Guzman, 31, who was in a back seat, had at least 11 bullet wounds along his right side, from his neck to his feet. All victims were unarmed. Standard Police Department procedures call for the suspension of officers who are charged with a crime, and the three detectives were ordered to surrender their shields. All five officers were placed on paid leave without their weapons.


About The Perpetrator:


About The Victim:


Outcome:

On March 16, 2007, three city police officers were indicted in the killing of 23 year old, Sean Bell. It is unclear whether Richard A. Brown, the Queens district attorney, sought the indictment of the other two officers who fired at Mr. Bell, Detective Paul Headley, 35, who fired one shot, and Officer Michael Carey, 26, who fired three shots. All five of the officers testified voluntarily before the grand jury without immunity from prosecution. Detectives Isnora and Oliver faced the most charges: first- and second-degree manslaughter, with a possible sentence of 25 years in prison; felony assault, first and second degree; and a misdemeanor, reckless endangerment, with a possible one-year sentence. Detective Oliver also faced a second count of first-degree assault. Detective Cooper was charged only with two counts of reckless endangerment. The seven-week trial, which ended on April 14, 2008 was heard by Justice Cooperman after the defendants waived their right to a jury, a strategy some lawyers called risky at the time. But it clearly paid off. Detectives Michael Oliver and Gescard Isnora– were found not guilty of charges of manslaughter, assault and reckless endangerment in the death of Sean Bell, 23, and the wounding of two of his friends. Detective Cooper was also found not guilty of reckless endangerment. Like most of the officers involved in the shooting, Oliver left the NYPD with his pension intact and will collect $40,000 a year starting in 2014 Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/17/nyregion/17grand.html http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/26/nyregion/26BELL.html http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/nyregion/27bell.html?em&ex=1209441600&en=ebc2b423bdbf4537&ei=5087


Michael Oliver is a white male.

He joined the department 12 years prior to the murder of Sean Bell, and had more than 600 arrests to his name, and multiple arrests involving guns, which he claims underscored a history of restraint with his own firearm. This didn’t matter in Sean Bell’s case where Oliver being charged with manslaughter, assault, and reckless endangerment, was found to have fired 31 shots and even stopped to reload.

Perpetrator: Ronald Ritchie – 911 Caller claimed Crawford pointed gun at people

Perpetrator

Victim

Date:

August 5 2004

Location:

Beavercreek, Ohio


What happened:

A white Ohio police officer, Sean Williams, fatally shot a black man, John Crawford III, in a Walmart store on August 5 2014 after Crawford took a bb/pellet gun off a Walmart store shelf. Williams and his partner were called to the store after someone made a 911 call claiming someone was waving a rifle in the air of the store. Officer Williams later claimed he believed he faced an “imminent threat”, although he acknowledges he and his partner didn’t observe anyone running, screaming or in pain and didn’t hear or smell gunfirenever. Moreover, he never saw Crawford point (what turned out to be a pellet gun) or threaten anyone. Additionally, Ohio is an “open carry state”. Crawford was only 22 years of age when murdered and left behind two sons- nearly 2-year-old John Henry IV and 5-month-old Jayden. Ronald Ritchie, a white man, was the person who called 911 and originally told the dispatcher that Crawford pointed the rifle at two children, which the footage disproves. Ritchie, of Riverside, was the only person to call 911 before shots were fired at the store. Ronald Ritchie later clarified to the Guardian in an interview that “at no point did he shoulder the rifle and point it at somebody”, stressing instead that Crawford had been “waving it around” and that the muzzle had moved in the direction of others shoppers. Again, Ohio is an “open carry state”.


About The Perpetrator:


About The Victim:


Outcome:

Fairborn Municipal Court Judge Beth Root reviewed the filings, including surveillance video synchronized with the 911 recording, and ruled there was sufficient evidence to prosecute Ritchie for misdemeanor making false alarms. She then referred the case for further review by a prosecutor, Mark E. Piepmeier. Piepmeier, in turn presented the shooting case to a grand jury, which had authority to bring charges against Ritchie if they thought it was warranted. However, Piepmeier stated,’I don’t find any evidence that Mr. Ritchie knew any of the information he was providing was false.’ Witnesses believe the prosecutor ignored video segments that indicate Crawford wasn’t doing what the caller described at certain moments, culminating in a grand jury decision that did not hold Rictchie accountable. It was noted that after the grand jury’s decision, Piepmeier had publicly described Ritchie as someone ‘trying to be a good citizen.

Source:


Ronald Ritchie is a white man.

Former Police Officer Jason Stockley

Perpetrator

Victim

Date:

December 20, 2011

Location:

St. Louis, Missouri


What happened:

Officer Jason Stockley shot 24-year-old Anthony Lamar Smith five times while Smith tried to flee from Stockley on Dec. 20, 2011, following an alleged drug deal. During the pursuit, Stockley could be heard saying on an internal police car video he was going to kill Smith, prosecutors said. At Stockley’s direction, the driver of the police car slammed into Smith’s vehicle and they came to a stop, court documents said. Stockley then approached Smith’s car and shot him five times with his service weapon. Stockley’s lawyers said he fired in self-defense, believing Smith was reaching for a gun. Stockly later stated he saw Smith holding a gun and felt he was in imminent danger. But prosecutors said the only gun recovered from the scene had only Stockley’s DNA on it. Prosecutors stated Stockley planted a gun in Smith’s car after he shot him. Stockley waived his right to a jury trial, allowing the circuit judge Timothy Wilson to decide. Stockley, 36 at the time, could have been sentenced to up to life in prison without parole. Stockley left the St Louis Police Department in 2013, after a suspension for carrying his own AK-47 pistol, and moved to Houston, Texas. Stockley was not charged with Smith’s death until 2016 after new evidence emerged from the St. Louis city police and the FBI. According to the circuit attorney’s office, the St. Louis police’s internal affairs investigators contacted them in March 2016 with this new evidence that ultimately made the prosecutor pursue charges.


About The Perpetrator:

A West Point graduate who served with the Army in Iraq, Stockley said that his job as a St. Louis cop grew so dangerous, he began carrying unauthorized weapons with extra rounds.


About The Victim:

Anthony Lamar Smith was a 24 year old African American male at the time of his murder.


Outcome:

On 9/11/2017, the city’s black police organization, the Ethical Society of Police, issued a letter calling for Stockley’s conviction based on the “physical evidence, circumstantial evidence, questionable tactics, and numerous violations of SLMPD policies/procedures”. Despite their call for justice, Missouri judge Timothy Wilson ruled on Friday (9/15/2017) that former St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley was not guilty of murder in the 2011 shooting of a black man, which sent hundreds of protesters to the city’s streets to voice their anger. Jason Stockley, 36, was acquitted of first-degree murder for killing Anthony Lamar Smith, 24. The former policeman, who was arrested in May 2016, was accused of planting a gun in Smith’s car but testified he acted in self-defense. The attorney for Smith’s fiance, Christina Wilson, said his client was appalled by the decision. Al Watkins said the ruling showed prejudice, pointing to a line where the judge wrote that an “urban heroin dealer” without a weapon would be an anomaly. Thomas Harvey of Arch City Defenders, a St Louis civil rights law firm, said: “If police can announce they are going to murder, carry personal AK-47s, plant weapons and shoot unarmed people five times at close range with no consequences, no black man in America is safe.” Jeffrey A. Mittman, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri, said Smith “died unnecessarily” in 2011. Mittman stated further, “This region — and our country as a whole — have seen too many deaths caused by police, with little accountability for the officers or department involved.” Smith’s family settled a lawsuit filed against the city for $900,000 in 2013, according to the family’s lawyer, Albert Watkins. Ever mindful about the alarming trend where grand juries decline to charge officers involved in fatal shootings such as the 2014 fatal shooting of Michael Brown, 18, in Ferguson, near St. Louis, and the choking death of Eric Garner, 43, in New York. Baltimore police officers also were not convicted in the case of Freddie Gray, who died from a broken neck suffered in a police van in 2015. Brown’s father, Michael Brown Sr., voiced his frustration after Stockley’s verdict, saying to a St. Louis Fox tv station, “You all know this ain’t right and you all continue to do this to us…Like we don’t mean nothing, like we’re rats, trash, dogs in the streets. Right now, I’m praying for my city because my people are tired of this.”

Sources:


Victim: Anthony Lamar Smith

Perpetrator

Victim

Date:

December 20, 2011

Location:


What happened:

Officer Jason Stockley shot 24-year-old Anthony Lamar Smith five times while Smith tried to flee from Stockley on Dec. 20, 2011, following an alleged drug deal. During the pursuit, Stockley could be heard saying on an internal police car video he was going to kill Smith, prosecutors said. At Stockley’s direction, the driver of the police car slammed into Smith’s vehicle and they came to a stop, court documents said. Stockley then approached Smith’s car and shot him five times with his service weapon. Stockley’s lawyers said he fired in self-defense, believing Smith was reaching for a gun. Stockly later stated he saw Smith holding a gun and felt he was in imminent danger. But prosecutors said the only gun recovered from the scene had only Stockley’s DNA on it. Prosecutors stated Stockley planted a gun in Smith’s car after he shot him. Stockley waived his right to a jury trial, allowing the circuit judge Timothy Wilson to decide. Stockley, 36 at the time, could have been sentenced to up to life in prison without parole. Stockley left the St Louis Police Department in 2013, after a suspension for carrying his own AK-47 pistol, and moved to Houston, Texas. Stockley was not charged with Smith’s death until 2016 after new evidence emerged from the St. Louis city police and the FBI. According to the circuit attorney’s office, the St. Louis police’s internal affairs investigators contacted them in March 2016 with this new evidence that ultimately made the prosecutor pursue charges.


About The Perpetrator:

A West Point graduate who served with the Army in Iraq, Stockley said that his job as a St. Louis cop grew so dangerous, he began carrying unauthorized weapons with extra rounds.


About The Victim:

Anthony Lamar Smith was a 24 year old African American male at the time of his murder.


Outcome:

On 9/11/2017, the city’s black police organization, the Ethical Society of Police, issued a letter calling for Stockley’s conviction based on the “physical evidence, circumstantial evidence, questionable tactics, and numerous violations of SLMPD policies/procedures”. Despite their call for justice, Missouri judge Timothy Wilson ruled on Friday (9/15/2017) that former St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley was not guilty of murder in the 2011 shooting of a black man, which sent hundreds of protesters to the city’s streets to voice their anger. Jason Stockley, 36, was acquitted of first-degree murder for killing Anthony Lamar Smith, 24. The former policeman, who was arrested in May 2016, was accused of planting a gun in Smith’s car but testified he acted in self-defense. The attorney for Smith’s fiance, Christina Wilson, said his client was appalled by the decision. Al Watkins said the ruling showed prejudice, pointing to a line where the judge wrote that an “urban heroin dealer” without a weapon would be an anomaly. Thomas Harvey of Arch City Defenders, a St Louis civil rights law firm, said: “If police can announce they are going to murder, carry personal AK-47s, plant weapons and shoot unarmed people five times at close range with no consequences, no black man in America is safe.” Jeffrey A. Mittman, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri, said Smith “died unnecessarily” in 2011. Mittman stated further, “This region — and our country as a whole — have seen too many deaths caused by police, with little accountability for the officers or department involved.” Smith’s family settled a lawsuit filed against the city for $900,000 in 2013, according to the family’s lawyer, Albert Watkins. Ever mindful about the alarming trend where grand juries decline to charge officers involved in fatal shootings such as the 2014 fatal shooting of Michael Brown, 18, in Ferguson, near St. Louis, and the choking death of Eric Garner, 43, in New York. Baltimore police officers also were not convicted in the case of Freddie Gray, who died from a broken neck suffered in a police van in 2015. Brown’s father, Michael Brown Sr., voiced his frustration after Stockley’s verdict, saying to a St. Louis Fox tv station, “You all know this ain’t right and you all continue to do this to us…Like we don’t mean nothing, like we’re rats, trash, dogs in the streets. Right now, I’m praying for my city because my people are tired of this.”

Sources:


Killer: George Zimmerman

Perpetrator

Victim

Date:


Location:


What happened:

After purchasing a bag of Skittles and a can of Arizona iced tea from a 7-Eleven in Sanford, Florida, Trayvon Martin walking home to the residence of his Father’s fiance where he was residing at that time. George Zimmerman dialed 911 telling a dispatcher he saw “a real suspicious guy” in his neighborhood. He added, “This guy looks like he’s up to no good, or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining, and he’s just walking around.” The dispatcher asked Zimmerman if he was following the person. He replied, “Yes.” The dispatcher responded, “OK. We don’t need you to do that.” but zimmeran followed anyway. Zimmerman later attempted to confront Trayvon and after a scuffle used his 9mm semiautomatic hand gun to shoot and kill Trayvon. Trayvon Martin was survived by his mother, Sybrina Fulton, Tracy Martin (father), and Jaharvis Fulton (brother).


About The Perpetrator:


About The Victim:


Outcome:

Zimmerman faced second-degree murder charges in the death of Martin. Defended by Attorneys Mark O’Mara, Don West, and Lorna Truett, George Zimmerman received a ‘not guilty’ verdict on July 13, 2013, in Sanford, Florida. A jury of 6 women found him not guilty in the shooting of Trayvon Martin. The parents of Trayvon Martin, settled a wrongful-death lawsuit against the homeowners’ association in the gated community where he was killed. At the time of the shooting, Mr. Zimmerman was the neighborhood watch captain at the development, the Retreat at Twin Lakes in Sanford, Fla., where he lived with his wife. A homeowners’ association newsletter sent to residents in February 2012, the same month as the shooting, cited Mr. Zimmerman as the person to contact for neighborhood watch issues. The newsletter suggested that if concerns arose, they first call the police and then alert Mr. Zimmerman. The parents later sued Zimmerman and settled for an undisclosed amount. In a successful attempt to make money off of his new found noteriety as the unashamed murderer of a 17 year old high school student, Zimmerman sold a painting on eBay for $100,099.99 on December 21, 2013. In August 2015, Zimmerman painted a Confederate flag with the words “Our 2nd Protects Our 1st” after hearing about Andy Hallinan, a Florida gun shop owner who got sued after declaring he wouldn’t sell guns to Muslims. “The caption, ‘the 2nd protects the first,’ is a double entendre,” Zimmerman said on the shop’s website. Zimmerman and Hallinan decided to sell prints and raffle off the original painting, sharing the proceeds. Since Zimmerman murdered Trayvon Martin, he has had multiple run-ins with law enforcement including multiple domestic abuse incidents. Days after his ex-wife, Shellie Zimmerman, filed for divorce in September 2013, she called 911 and said, “He is in his car and he continually has his hand on his gun and he keeps saying, ‘Step closer.’ He is just threatening all of us.” Zimmerman allegedly punched her dad and threatened to kill the family. Then again in November 2013, Zimmerman was charged with felony aggravated assault, as well as domestic violence battery and criminal mischief, after allegedly breaking a table with a shotgun and pointing it at his then girlfriend, Samantha Scheibe. But Scheibe later recanted her statement, and the charges were dropped. Yet again, Zimmerman’s predisposition for violence was on display when he was arrested in January 2015 for aggravated assault and domestic violence with a weapon after he allegedly threw a wine bottle at a woman who, according to Zimmerman’s attorney Don West, was his girlfriend. The victim later recanted her statement and charges were not filed. In May 2016, Zimmerman tried to sell the Kel-Tec PF-9 9 mm handgun he used to murder Martin on a gun sale website. “This is a piece of American history,” Zimmerman reportedly wrote on the first auction page. “Many have expressed interest in owning and displaying the firearm including the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C.,” a claim that the museum vehemently denied. Sources: https://www.cnn.com/2012/05/18/justice/florida-teen-shooting-details/index.html http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/06/us/trayvon-martins-parents-settle-wrongful-death-suit.html http://www.newsweek.com/what-happened-george-zimmerman-5-weird-things-hes-done-killing-trayvon-martin-751302 http://www.newsweek.com/what-happened-george-zimmerman-5-weird-things-hes-done-killing-trayvon-martin-751302


George Zimmerman is a White presenting White/Afro-Peruvian.

He was born on October 5 1983, in Manasssas Virginia and to Gladys (nee Mesa) Zimmerman and Robert Zimmerman Sr. He attended All Saints Catholic School in Manassas before graduating from Osbourn High School in 2001. He is the third of four children and his siblings are Robert Jr., Grace, and Dawn Zimmerman. Robert Zimmerman Sr (father) served 22yrs in military. Zimmerman’s mother is of Peruvian/Afro-peruvian descent. After graduating from HS, Zimmerman moved to Lake Mary Florida and got a job with an insurance agency. George married Shellie Dean, a licensed cosmetologist in 2007.