In the United States, a 41-second hail of bullets fell on a 26-year-old man after escalating a traffic stop. A tactical unit had arrested him shortly before. The slain man likely shoots first, but the operation leaves many questions unanswered, such as how to identify the officers.
The debate on racism and police violence has reignited in the United States after police officers fired nearly 100 shots at a black man during a traffic stop in Chicago, killing him. The incident occurred on March 21 in a residential neighborhood, but the Chicago Office of Police Accountability (COPA) did not release the body camera footage of the officers involved until two and a half weeks later. The family of the 26-year-old man killed is asking for clarification.
According to COPA’s initial conclusions, the man first shot himself, hitting a police officer in the forearm after five police officers arrested him. The family’s lawyers say the police appeared in plain clothes. In body camera footage, seen on CNN and elsewhere, some officers wear baseball caps when they get out of their civilian-looking cars; the words “Police” are written on the back of one of the police officers. » jackets.
The video footage shows them walking toward the man’s car with guns drawn. They first ask him to roll down his window, then to open the door. Authorities say he was stopped because he was not wearing a seat belt. The footage shows that the man apparently does not immediately follow instructions, a gunshot is heard and the situation escalates in a very short time.
41 seconds of bullets
COPA said officers shot the man about 96 times in 41 seconds, even as he opened the car door and fell to the ground. According to reports, he was taken to hospital and pronounced dead there. A weapon was later discovered in his passenger seat. COPA said the investigation was ongoing. The FBI and the US Department of Justice would be informed of the progress. They also demanded that four police officers be temporarily removed from police duty.
The family of the killed man discussed the circumstances of the traffic stop. The police officers never identified themselves, their lawyer said at a press conference. They were police officers wearing hoodies and baseball caps, and the police car was not registered either. “We have a problem with the police in this city,” another lawyer said. Five police officers “jumped from a car, armed for a young man who was not wearing a seat belt.”
Similar deadly police operations occur regularly in the United States, as evidenced by the case of George Floyd, which sparked national protests a few years ago. In May 2020, the African-American died during a brutal police operation in Minneapolis. Videos showed how the officers pushed the unarmed man to the ground. White officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for a full nine minutes while Floyd begged him to let him breathe. The case sparked nationwide protests against police brutality and racism.
2024-04-11 04:40:18
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