It seems like each week we’re hearing about another shooting, whether it’s in the form of a shooting on a high school or college campus, or the shooting of a minority by a police officer. Unfortunately, during a recent 17-hour span we learned of two more fatal shootings of black civilians by white police officers. One occurred in Louisiana, while the other occurred in our backyard, in Falcon Heights. They both leave way more questions than answers, and while it’s always wise to reserve judgment until all the facts are released, on the surface, both videos suggest some serious shortcomings in how the officers handled the situation.
Falcon Heights Shooting
The Falcon Heights shooting happened Wednesday night during a traffic stop. The 10-minute Facebook livestream was posted by Lavish Reynolds, girlfriend of 32-year-old Philando Castile, who was in the driver’s seat. According to Reynolds, the pair was stopped for a broken tail light. The officer then approached the vehicle and asked Castile to provide his license. As Castile was procuring his license, he reportedly mentioned to the officer that he was carrying his licensed conceal and carry firearm. Reynolds suggests that the officer panicked upon hearing the information about the gun and seeing Castile’s movement, and opened fire, shooting him four times. Castile later died at the hospital.
The livestream video is include below, and it is very graphic in nature. Please use caution before deciding whether or not to click the video. It does not include the discharge of the firearm, only the aftermath, which includes a dying Castile in a blood-soaked shirt.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNCbgJ55jQY
Governor Mark Dayton has already requested an immediate Justice Department inquiry into the shooting, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension announced early Thursday afternoon it is conducting “a thorough and independent investigation” into the fatal shooting.
Shooting In Louisiana
In the second incident, 37-year-old Alton Sterling was shot outside a food mart by two authorities who had already wrestled him to the ground. It appears that in the video, two officers had Sterling pinned to the ground during an altercation. Sterling seemed to be resisting when on the ground, but he did not appear to be a direct threat when officers discovered a firearm on him while searching him. One of the cops yells “gun” and then all hell breaks loose.
Again, viewer discretion is advised.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaAik-EvI3o
These are truly tragic situations, and we hope more details will emerge and justice will be served.
