[ad_1]
"Please , do not shoot me, "Thurman Blevins begs the two Minneapolis police officers to shut down during a foot chase. "Leave me alone."
Moments later, he was shot to death, and the police said he had a gun in the alley next to him.
The exchange is filmed by the city of Minneapolis Sunday, a little over a month after Blevins, 31, was killed. His death on June 23 will lead to protests across the city as activists decry the killing of another black man in the hands of white police officers.
Graphic videos, which include blasphemy, can be seen in their entirety here. Prosecutors said Monday that they would not file a lawsuit against Ryan Kelly and Justin Schmidt, both Minneapolis police officers involved. Hennepin County Lawyer, Mike Freeman, announced the decision Monday morning at a press conference interrupted by protests
In remarks prepared by Freeman, which were published by his office, the prosecutor stated that there was no "Because Blevins" fled the officers with a loaded handgun, refused to follow their orders for it to stop and then shows his hands, then took the gun out of his pocket and turned to the officers. "
a 21-page report further explaining the decision and concluding that Blevins" represented an immediate threat to the safety of officers. "
The report describes the findings of a state investigation, which included analysis of the cameras worn by the body, the analysis of the firearm and interviews with the officers involved, as well as witnesses.These findings were sent to Freeman, who l & 39; reviewed with three senior prosecutors to make the decision not to accuse the agents.
"These cases are tearing apart our community," said Freeman in his remarks prepared Monday. "Nobody wins today: a young man is dead, our officers are increasingly criticized and monitored, and the community is devastated. "
Blevins is one of 584 people killed by police officers this year in the United States. One of the deaths resulting from shootings p The region of Paul has sparked controversy and protests in recent years, including those of Philando Castile, Jamar Clark and Justine Damond
The officer who shot Castile was charged and then acquitted, while that the police involved in Clark's shooting were not charged. thought that he was trying to grab one of their weapons, Freeman announced in 2016. The policeman who shot Damond – an Australian woman killed last year – was charged with murder and manslaughter this year.
Before the body film of the shooting Blevins was released this week, some basic details of what happened had been in dispute. Police said Blevins had held a gun, but some witnesses had said he was not armed. While the report released by Freeman's office states that no witnesses have seen or heard any sequence of events surrounding the Blevins shootings, the authorities concluded that there was "a confirmation eyewitness that Mr. Blevins had a weapon in his hand and was turning to the agents. 19659017] A video begins as officers Kelly and Schmidt cross a neighborhood north of Minneapolis in search of a person who allegedly fired a gun
in a transcript of the report. 911 call, a woman who did not want to give him name for fear of being labeled a sharp said that he looked intoxicated and had also shot on the ground .
Description: A black man with a black backpack and a bottle of gin. Six feet tall, 180 pounds, tapered hair, dressed in a white and gray tank top.
"It's a very good description for this to be a legitimate call," says Schmidt in the video. "But … then, again."
Sirens, they run down the streets covered with Victorian houses, passing through the red lights. They do not see anyone matching the description of the suspect.
Then, a few blocks from where the first caller had reported seeing a man wander with a rifle, they see Blevins sitting on the sidewalk with a gray dog
"He has a bottle of gin, "says Schmidt. "Is he … black tank top, tapered hair … yeah."
Then, with much more urgency in his voice, Schmidt says, "He has a gun."
The car stops abruptly.
Blevins springs out of the sidewalk and runs, dropping the dog's leash and knocking over a woman with a stroller. He takes off in the street.
"Put your hands in the air! I will shoot you! ", Crie Schmidt
The two officers chase Blevins, shouting at him to stop and raise his hands.
" Come on, man, I did not do anything, "says Blevins as He runs
"You have a gun," replies Schmidt, using a swear word to address the man
"I do not know," recalls Blevins. "Yes, that's the case," says Schmidt. "Put it aside."
Passing a white picket fence, Blevins turns a corner and forks a lane.
"Homie, do you like it," he says. "Please do not shoot me, leave me alone."
After about 45 seconds of pursuit, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Schmidt starts firing. Blevins collapse. When the agents get closer, what appears to be a small handgun is lying on the floor near Blevins' right hand
In addition to the videos of the two cameramen, the city has also released an improved version of the images. where the gun police say he was wearing was surrounded. The object is visible in the Blevins pocket when the police arrive on the scene, then in his hands when Schmidt opens fire.
Video images come from body videos. (Minneapolis Police Department via AP)
Video images come from body videos. A warning that precedes the enhanced video says that the video was "stabilized and analyzed" by the National Center for Forensic and Audio-Visual Medicine in California to reduce camera shake, but that the content was [19659036] Blevins' cousin, Sydnee Brown, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that the footage confirmed his belief that Blevins had not been a threat to the police
"Agents Ryan Kelly and Justin Schmidt should be fired without According to KSTP, Schmidt's lawyer, Kevin Short, had a different interpretation. "It is gratifying to know that the agents' actions were justified. Let's hope that the public has learned a lesson by waiting for all the facts and the video to be broadcast before the defamatory officers, "he told the station.
The reactions to the video were mixed. Some argued that the police had been allowed to shoot Blevins because he appeared to have a firearm and refused to drop it despite multiple warnings. Others argued that the police should have done more to defuse the situation when they arrived at the scene
Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo told the local media he could not comment on the footage because a criminal investigation on the shooting was in progress. Both officers are on leave
At a press conference Sunday night, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called the footage "traumatic" but refused to interpret or judge it [19659046]. On the afternoon of June 23, and regardless of how our own life experiences and our origins inform the conclusions we draw, let's all acknowledge one conclusion, "he said." A life has been lost, and that, in itself, is a tragedy. "
This story was updated with the news that no officer will be charged.
Related:
Police shooting Washington Post database
[ad_2]
Source link
