On Saturday, August 9, 18-year-old, college bound and unarmed Mike Brown was shot and killed by a cop in Ferguson, MO.
Sadly, he is not the first, and probably won’t be the last, unarmed Black man gunned down by an officer who is supposedly trained to have their best interest at heart.
History has way too many examples of cops shooting first, and asking questions later. There are also cases of burying evidence or just just plain getting away with murder.
Here are 10 such examples. Never forget.
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Photo: Courtesy of Nicole Paultre Bell
Patrick M. Dorismond
In 2000, Patrick Dorsimond, a security guard and father of two, became angered when undercover cops, who a witness said never identified themselves as such, asked him where they could be marijuana. A scuffle ensued that ended with officer Anthony Vasquez shooting him dead. Vasquez was never prosecuted with a grand jury declaring the shooting was accidental.
Sean Bell
In 2006, On what was supposed to be his wedding day, after leaving his Bachelor Party, Bell was in a car that got hit with 50 bullets by officers; one of them yelled “gun.” There was no gun. There was a $7M settlement and years later four of the cops on the scene were fired.
Oscar Grant
Oakland transit cop Johannes Mehserle said he mistakenly used his gun instead of his Taser and shot a prone Oscar Grant in the back on New Year’s Day 2009. Mehserle got tow years for involuntary manslaughter and walked out of prison after 11 months.
Timothy Russell
After a chase, police officers fired 137 rounds into a car Russell was travelling in with Malissa Williams, killing both. Officers claimed they saw a gun, but no weapon was found.
Kimani Gray
A sole witness, other than the cops that shot, say McCray was unarmed when the 16-years-old was gunned down by a pair of NYPD officer in Brookyn in March 2013.
Jordan Baker
Baker, 26, was shot and killed in Houston in January 2009 by an off-duty cop moonlighting as a security. The only weapon on Baker’s person was the hoodie that fit the description of armed robbery suspect.
Amadou Diallo
In 1999, four cops fired 41 bullets at Amadou Diallo, with 19 hitting him and resulting in his death. Officers thought he had a gun in hand. But actually, it was the Guinnea-Bissau immigrant’s wallet.
Timothy Stansbury Jr.
Stansbury had no record but was shot and killed by a cop who he “startled” as he patrolled the rooftop of a Brooklyn project. The shooting was deemed an accident.
Ramarley Graham
After being chasing into his grandmother’s home where he allegedly tried to flush weed down the toilet, NYPD officer Richard Haste shot and killed 18-year-old Ramarley Graham despite no warrant and the teen being unarmed.
