Perpetrator
Victim
Date:
2001-04-07Location:
Cincinnati, Ohio
What happened:
In April of 2001, Thomas- an unarmed black 19-year-old- was shot by a white officer, Stephen Roach, in Cincinnati. Was wanted for traffic violations and was fleeing. Mr. Thomas had been wanted on 14 warrants, including traffic charges and fleeing the police. On the night of the shooting, he ran from three other officers and scaled fences in a neighborhood plagued by drugs and violence according to Roach’s lawyer.
About The Perpetrator:
About The Victim:
Outcome:
The officer, Stephen Roach, had been charged with negligent homicide and obstructing official business in the death of Timothy Thomas, 19, whom he shot in a dark alley early on April 7. Judge Ralph E. Winkler of Hamilton County Municipal Court pronounced sentence after hearing the trial without a jury. Officer Roach did not testify. ”This shooting was a split-second reaction to a very dangerous situation created by Timothy Thomas,” Judge Winkler said. ”Police Officer Roach’s action was reasonable.” The judge said Officer Roach had an unblemished record, while Mr. Thomas had been wanted on a variety of warrants and did not respond to an order to show his hands. Roach was acquitted. Eight hundred arrests were made in the ensuing riots.
The City of Cincinnati, Fraternal Order of Police and Black United Front were among groups in 2002 that signed the Collaborative Agreement, which brought sweeping reforms to the police department. It would change how it tracked and recorded its use of force, modify foot-pursuit policies and add computers to cruisers. The emphasis would now be community-oriented policing.
Sources:
Timothy Thomas was an unarmed black 19-year-old male.