excessive force
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Milwaukee Officer Who Fatally Shot Sylville Smith Knew Him From High School, Family Says
Sylville Smith, the 23-year-old man who was gunned down by a Milwaukee police officer over the weekend, and the officer who fatally shot him knew each other from high school, Smith’s family says, according to CNN. “The officer knew him personally from high school, and he still shot him,” Sherelle Smith, Sylville Smith’s sister, told…
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DC Police Investigating Twitter Video of Black Woman Being Pinned to Cruiser by Cop
Washington, D.C., police are launching an internal investigation after a Twitter video surfaced showing a black woman being lifted off her feet and pinned to a police vehicle by an officer, the Washington Post reports. “We’ve been made aware of the video and contacted their commanding officer,” Rachel Schaerr, a department spokeswoman, told the Post,…
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Former Aston Villa Footballer Dalian Atkinson Dies After Police in England Use Taser on Him
English footballer Dalian Atkinson died after police used a Taser on him near his father’s home in Telford, England, The Guardian reports. Atkinson, a former Aston Villa striker, who also played for Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich Town, was 48. He was believed to have been visiting his 85-year-old father when the incident occurred. According to…
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At Least 2 Injured During 2nd Night of Milwaukee Protests
Shots were fired during a second night of protests in Milwaukee over the police shooting of Sylville K. Smith, a black man who was gunned down, authorities say, as he fled a traffic stop Saturday afternoon, CNN reports. According to the report, during unrest in the early-morning hours of Monday, one person was shot. That…
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Outraged Mom Sues Chicago Public Schools Claiming 6-Year-Old Daughter Was Handcuffed for Taking Candy
A Chicago mother filed a lawsuit Thursday against Chicago Public Schools, claiming that her 6-year-old daughter was handcuffed at school as punishment for taking candy off a teacher’s desk, WLS reports. The alleged incident, at Fernwood Elementary, dates back to March, but Marlena Wordlow says she felt no one at CPS was giving her justice,…
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Black Man Killed by L.A. Sheriff's Deputy Was Not a Suspect in Carjacking, Officials Say
At first, officials had identified 27-year-old Donnell Thompson as a suspect in a carjacking. Now the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department has released a statement acknowledging that Thompson, who was fatally shot during an encounter with police last month, was actually innocent, the Huffington Post notes. “We have determined that there is no evidence that Mr.…
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Va. Officer Guilty of Voluntary Manslaughter in Shooting Death of 18-Year-Old William Chapman
A Virginia jury found a white former police officer guilty of voluntary manslaughter in the April 2015 shooting death of an unarmed black teen who was accused of shoplifting, ABC News reports. Former Portsmouth, Va., Police Officer Stephen Rankin, who was fired from the police force as he awaited trial, fatally shot 18-year-old William Chapman…
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Activist DeRay Mckesson Sues City of Baton Rouge, La., Over Arrest
Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson filed a lawsuit against the city of Baton Rouge, La., Thursday over his arrest last month at a protest for Alton Sterling during which more than 200 people were detained, the Associated Press reports. The lawsuit filed on behalf of Mckesson and two others arrested accuses the city and…
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Family of Korryn Gaines Questions Police Use of Deadly Force
The family of Korryn Gaines is speaking out on behalf of the 23-year-old mother of two who was shot to death by Baltimore County police Monday after an hourslong standoff, WBAL-TV reports. One of the family’s biggest questions is why deadly force had to be used in the first place. “We see hundreds of videos…
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Black Activist Group Sues Detroit Police Department on Mistreatment of Members
A black activist group has filed a lawsuit against the Detroit Police Department accusing its officers of constant harassment, abuse and mistreatment of its members, the Detroit Free Press reports. “It is beyond comprehension why New Era Detroit, a peaceful and powerful, people-driven organization, would be done like this,” the group states in a federal lawsuit.…