The Field Negro education series continues.On the one year anniversary of the shooting of an unarmed young man of color in Ferguson, Missouri, another story has some of us folks scratching our collective heads.
"Arlington, Texas, police fatally shot a 19-year-old college student they claim broke into a car dealership early Friday morning, but some members of the dead man's family find the police version of the story hard to believe.
According to the Star-Telegram, around 1 a.m. Friday, police were notified of a burglary in progress at a GMC Classic Buick dealership. Police say a security company called for emergency help after company employees witnessed a man using his car to crash through the dealership's showroom window.
"The officers went and confronted him. There was an altercation. An officer discharged his weapon and struck the suspect," Sgt. Paul Rodriguez, a police spokesman, told the Star-Telegram.
"The officers went and confronted him. There was an altercation. An officer discharged his weapon and struck the suspect," Sgt. Paul Rodriguez, a police spokesman, told the Star-Telegram.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office identified the dead man Friday afternoon as 19-year-old Christian Taylor. Taylor was a sophomore at Angelo State University and a member of the football team. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Rodriguez added that Taylor was unarmed when he was shot.
Police identified the officer involved in the shooting as 49-year-old Brad Miller, a recent graduate of the academy, who was working under the supervision of a training officer at the time of the shooting. Miller has been placed on administrative leave.
"We're having two independent investigations—a criminal and administrative," Rodriguez said. "As an agency, we take the loss of any human life as serious, but we owe it to our community to conduct a clear and transparent investigation to determine what exactly took place."
Clyde Fuller, Taylor's great-uncle, told the Star-Telegram that the story that is being described doesn't add up. He said his great-nephew was set to return to college and that he excelled at football.
"He was a good kid. I don't see him stealing no car or nothing like that," Fuller said.
"He was a good kid. I don't see him stealing no car or nothing like that," Fuller said.
"I think something is going on that somebody is lying about," Fuller told the Star-Telegram. "... They say he's burglarizing the place by running up in there? Nuh-uh. Something doesn't sound right."
Rodriguez told the newspaper that the officers are in the process of receiving body cameras, but don't have them yet, and as such, Officer Miller was not wearing one during the shooting.
Rodriguez told the newspaper that the officers are in the process of receiving body cameras, but don't have them yet, and as such, Officer Miller was not wearing one during the shooting.
He added that there are several security cameras in the dealership, but said police haven't found footage that shows the incident clearly." [Story]
I know my white brethren, you are tired of all these stories about police brutality and young men. Just remember, though, your child could be next.
Wait.......
"You think you've heard this story before. A young, unarmed man is gunned down by police, black activists are outraged -- the only difference with this scenario is that the young man is not black, he's white.
I know my white brethren, you are tired of all these stories about police brutality and young men. Just remember, though, your child could be next.
Wait.......
"You think you've heard this story before. A young, unarmed man is gunned down by police, black activists are outraged -- the only difference with this scenario is that the young man is not black, he's white.
Nineteen-year-old Zachary Hammond was on a date July 26 when he was fatally shot twice by a police officer while at the back parking lot of a Hardee's fast food restaurant in Seneca, a city 40 miles from Greenville, near the North Carolina border, according to Eric Bland, the attorney representing the teen's family.
The Seneca Police Department said the officer was conducting a drug investigation and shot Hammond in self-defense.
"He was a uniformed officer, he was in a marked vehicle, was out of his vehicle on foot approaching the suspect vehicle -- weapon drawn given it was a narcotics type violation," Seneca Police Chief John Covington said to CNN affiliate WHNS.
A small amount of marijuana was found in the front passenger's compartment in Hammond's car.
"He was a 19-year-old, 121-pound kid killed basically for a joint," Bland said. " [Story]
Let it not be said that the Field Negro is not as equally outraged when he sees a potential state killing of a young man from the majority population.
This situation, like the one above in Arlington, Texas, should be vigorously investigated. And if it is found that the killings of these young men were unjustified, the officers involved should be held accountable in a court of law.
*Picture from twitter via theroot.com
