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Victim: Philando Castile

Perpetrator

Victim

Date:

2016-07-06

Location:

Saint Paul, Minnesota 


What happened:

On July 6, 2016, Philando Castile was shot and killed by Jeronimo Yanez, a St. Anthony, Minnesota, police officer, after being pulled over in Falcon Heights, a suburb of Saint Paul. Castile was in a car with his girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, and her four-year-old daughter when he was pulled over by Yanez and another officer.

The shooting achieved a high profile from a live-streamed video on Facebook made by Diamond Reynolds in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. It shows her interacting with the armed officer as a mortally injured Castile lies slumped over, moaning slightly and his left arm and side bloody.

According to a police dashcam video/audio, after being asked for his license and registration, Castile told the officer he had a firearm, to which the officer replied ‘Don’t reach for it then’. After saying ‘Don’t pull it out’ twice, the officer shot at Castile seven times. Reynold’s testimony was that Castile was shot while reaching for his ID after telling Yanez he was armed.


About The Perpetrator:

Jeronimo Yanez, of South St. Paul, is a Latino male. Yanez was 28 years old at the time of the shooting of Philando Castile.

 

Jeronimo Yanez was identified by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension as the officer who shot Castile. The other officer involved in the traffic stop was identified as Joseph Kauser, who was described as Yanez’s partner. Both officers had been with the St. Anthony Police Department for four years at the time of the shooting, and were longtime friends who had graduated together from the Minnesota State University, Mankato police academy in 2010.


About The Victim:

Philando Divall Castile was a 32 year old African American male, and father.

Castile was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He graduated from Saint Paul Central High School in 2001 and worked for the Saint Paul Public School District from 2002 until his death. Castile began as a nutrition services assistant at Chelsea Heights Elementary School and Arlington High School (now Washington Technology Magnet School). He was promoted to nutrition services supervisor at J. J. Hill Montessori Magnet School, in August 2014.


Outcome:

On November 16, 2016, John Choi, the Ramsey County Attorney, announced that Yanez was being charged with three felonies: one count of second-degree manslaughter and two counts of dangerous discharge of a firearm. Choi said, “I would submit that no reasonable officer knowing, seeing, and hearing what Officer Yanez did at the time would have used deadly force under these circumstances.”

Yanez was acquitted of all charges on June 16, 2017. The same day, the City of Saint Anthony said it was offering Officer Yanez a voluntary separation agreement. Officer Yanez later received a $48,500 buyout through that separation agreement with the police department.

The St. Anthony city council voted to give the victim’s girlfriend -Diamond Reynolds- a $675,000 settlement award. 

Sources:


Victim: Alton Sterling

Perpetrator

Victim

Date:

2016-07-05

Location:

Baton Rouge, Louisiana


What happened:

Sterling was shot and killed about 12:35 a.m. on Tuesday, July 5, 2016. He was selling CDs outside the Triple S Food Mart, at the corner of Fairfields Avenue and North Foster Drive. The officers had responded to a disturbance call in which the caller said someone had been threatening him with a gun.  The store’s owner, Abdullah Muflahi claimed that Sterling was armed because he had been mugged recently, but said Sterling was not holding his gun or touching his pockets during the incident. 

When Baton Rouge Police Department Officers Howie Lake II and Blane Salamoni arrived, they confronted Sterling, tased him, forced him to the ground and shot him several times at close range while he was held down on the ground. Despite video footage, there was no evidence that Sterling ever reached for a gun or acted in a way that necessitated him being shot multiple times while on the ground.

An autopsy was conducted later Tuesday. He died of multiple gunshot wounds to the back and chest according to the East Baton Rouge Coroner’s Office. The wounds to the back were entrance wounds.


About The Perpetrator:


About The Victim:


Outcome:

After the shooting Lake II and Salamoni were placed on administrative leave. A criminal investigation, led by the U.S. Department of Justice, was undertaken, in which the the FBI and state police were involved. However in May 2, 2017, they decided that it would not file criminal charges against the police officers.

After this decision was made by the Department of Justice, Louisiana’s attorney general. Jeff Landry, said that the state of Louisiana would open an investigation into the shooting once the Department of Justice releases the physical evidence.

A federal civil rights investigation was also conducted.
Howie Lake II and Blane Salamoni have been investigated and cleared 5 times between their collective seven years (at the time of Sterling’s murder) working for the Baton Rouge police department.

Sources:
https://www.cnn.com/2016/07/07/us/baton-rouge-alton-sterling-shooting/index.html


Alton Sterling is an African American known locally in Baton Rouge as the “CD Man”.

He was 37 years old at the time of his murder by Baton Rouge Police Officers.

Victim: Walter “Lamar” Scott

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


Walter Lamar Scott was a 50 year old African American man. He was born February 9, 1965.

He worked as a forklift operator, studying massage therapy. Scott previously served two years in the U.S. Coast Guard before being given a general discharge in 1986 for a drug-related incident.

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.

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:


Victim: Trayvon Martin

Perpetrator

Victim

Date:

February 26, 2012

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, an unarmed 17 year old, African American High School Student walked home to the residence of his Father’s fiance, in Sanford, Florida, 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.


Trayvon Martinn was a 17 year old African American High School Student.

Victim: John Crawford

Perpetrator

Victim

Date:

August 5 2014

Location:

Beavercreek, Ohio


What happened:

John Crawford III was an African American 22 year old patronizing a Walmart Store. A white Ohio police officer 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. Another Walmart shopper Angela Williams, 37, who worked at a Springfield nursing home, died of a heart condition after Officer Williams fired his weapon and she tried to flee the store. Williams, a nine-year veteran on the force, was involved in Beavercreek’s first fatal police-involved shooting on June 27, 2010. In that shooting, Williams shot and killed retired Air Force Master Sgt. Scott A. Brogli, 45, after the man allegedly charged him and another officer while carrying a large kitchen knife. Brogli died from a single gunshot wound to the chest, as his 17-year-old son watched the incident unfold.


About The Perpetrator:

David M. Darkow is a white male police officer sergeant with the Beavercreek Police Department.


About The Victim:

John Crawford III, an African American male, 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.


Outcome:

The DOJ Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Southern Ohio conducted an investigation and informed the public on July 11, 2017 that evidence from their investigation was “insufficient to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Officer Williams violated [Crawford’s] federal civil rights. As a result, a grand jury in Greene County declined to indict Officer Williams on charges of reckless homicide or negligent homicide. Officer Williams was placed on desk duty after the shooting but was immediately placed back on full active duty at the conclusion of the DOJ investigation per the Beavercreek Police Chief’s orders. John Crawford III’s family has filed a civil suit which is ongoing.


Sources:

Ohio Police Officer Who Shot and Killed Black 22yo Says He Faced 'Immenent Threat';  Officer Who Killed Walmart Shopper Carrying Air Rifle Won't Face Federal Charges;  Beavercreek Police Officer Darkow Back On Job;  Beavercreek Officer Who Shot John Crawford III Back on 'Full Duty';  Beavercreek Officers Granted Third Lawsuit Delay in Crawford Case; 

Victim: Philip Quinn

Perpetrator

Victim

Date:

December 17 2015

Location:

St. Paul, Minnesota (West End)


What happened:

Prior to his death, Philip Quinn knew he needed help and was battling several mental health issues. He had recently told St. Paul hospital staff that he planned to kill himself, and tried to get into a long-term treatment program to address his schizophrenia and other mental health difficulties. Philip Quinn’s family called St. Paul, Minnesota, police multiple times on Sept. 24, 2015, for help containing the 30-year-old, whom they said was psychotic and suicidal. Police shot and killed the White Earth Ojibwe man as he ran toward them with a screwdriver. The officers involved were Joe LaBathe, an eight-year veteran, and Rich McGuire, who has been with the department for seven years. McGuire shot Quinn. Philip was 30 years of age at the time of his death.


About The Perpetrator:


About The Victim:


Outcome:

After Quinn’s shooting, both officers were placed on standard administrative leave. By December 2015, this officer-involved shooting death was the 13th in St. Paul since 2009 — the most by any department in the state. It was also one of several in the past 2 years that involved a victim who was mentally ill, renewing concerns about police response and protocols for handling such issues. The two officers were later cleared by a grand jury on or around February 19, 2016. In an effort to be more transparent, the St. Paul Police Department released detailed information, 911 calls, and dash cam video from the case to give the public a better idea of what happened.

Sources:


Philip Quinn is an Indigenous/ Native American.

Victim: Corey Kanosh

Perpetrator

Victim

Date:

2012-10-15

Location:

Utah Dessert


What happened:

Corey Kanosh, an unarmed 35-year-old Paiute man, died in the Utah desert on Oct. 15, 2012. Police, believing the car in which he was a passenger to be stolen, chased it to a stop. After Corey got out of the car, police shot him and left him overnight. In the morning, he was pronounced dead.


About The Perpetrator:


About The Victim:


Outcome:


Corey Kanosh was a 35 year old Indigenous/ Native American male.

Victim: Jeanetta Riley

Perpetrator

Victim

Date:

2014-07-08

Location:

Sandpoint, Idaho


What happened:

Riley was pregnant, homeless and threatening suicide. A 34-year-old Suquamish tribe descendent,  Jeanetta Riley was shot and killed by Sandpoint, Idaho police on July 8, 2014, seconds after they exited their vehicles. 


About The Perpetrator:


About The Victim:


Outcome:

Because Riley was holding a knife, her shooting was ruled justified.


Jeanetta Riley was a 34 year old Indigenous/ Native American woman.