Black Lives Matter-Ugliness of Racism.

[spaminator]

Florida Gov. Ron Desantis booed at vigil as hundreds mourn more racist killings
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Russ Bynum And Aaron Morrison
Published Aug 28, 2023 • 5 minute read

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Hundreds of people gathered Sunday at prayer vigils and in church, in frustration and exhaustion, to mourn yet another racist attack in America: this one the killing of three Black people in Florida at the hands of a white, 21-year-old man who authorities say left behind white supremacist ramblings that read like “the diary of a madman.”


Following services earlier in the day, about 200 people showed up at a Sunday evening vigil a block from the Dollar General store in Jacksonville where officials said Ryan Palmeter opened fire Saturday using guns he bought legally despite a past involuntary commitment for a mental health exam.


Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis — who is running for the GOP nomination for president, who has loosened gun laws in Florida and who has antagonized civil rights leaders by deriding “wokeness ” _ was loudly booed as he addressed the vigil.

Ju’Coby Pittman, a Jacksonville city councilwoman who represents the neighborhood where the shooting happened, stepped in to ask the crowd to listen.

“It ain’t about parties today,” she said. “A bullet don’t know a party.”


DeSantis said that on Monday the state would be announcing financial support for security at Edward Waters University, the historically black college near where the shooting occurred, and to help the affected families. He called the gunman a “major league scumbag.”

“What he did is totally unacceptable in the state of Florida,” DeSantis said. “We are not going to let people be targeted based on their race.”

Sheriff T.K. Waters identified those killed as Angela Michelle Carr, 52, who was shot in her car; store employee A.J. Laguerre, 19, who was shot as he tried to flee; and customer Jerrald Gallion, 29, who was shot as he entered the store in a predominantly Black neighborhood.

Gallion attended St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Bishop John Guns told the crowd. He was the 33rd murder victim in the 27 years Guns has been there, he said.


“In two weeks I have to preach a funeral of a man who should still be alive,” Guns said. “He was not a gangster, he was not a thug — he was a father who gave his life to Jesus and was trying to get it together.

“I wept in church today like a baby because my heart is tired. We are exhausted.”

The latest in a long history of American racist killings unfolded early Saturday afternoon after Palmeter first parked at Edward Waters University.

The sheriff said a video posted on TikTok with no timestamp showed Palmeter donning a bullet-resistant vest. A university security guard spotted Palmeter and parked near him. Palmeter drove off and the security guard flagged down a Jacksonville sheriff’s officer who was about to send out an alert to other officers when the shooting began at the store.


Palmeter used an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and a Glock handgun in the shooting, Waters said. He had legally purchased the guns in recent months even though he had been involuntarily committed for a mental health examination in 2017. Because Palmeter was released after the examination, that would have not shown up on his background checks.

Palmeter killed himself as police arrived, about 11 minutes after the shooting began.

Palmeter lived with his parents in neighboring Clay County. He texted his father during the shooting and told him to break into his room, Waters said. The father then found a suicide note, a will and the racist writings Waters described as “quite frankly, the diary of a madman.”

“He was just completely irrational,” Waters said. “But with irrational thoughts, he knew what he was doing. He was 100% lucid.”


The sheriff said Palmeter, wearing his vest covered by a shirt, gloves and a mask, first stopped in front of Carr’s vehicle and fired 11 shots with his rifle through her windshield, killing her.

He entered the store and turned to his right, shooting Laguerre, video shows. Numerous people fled through the back door, the sheriff said. He chased after them and fired, but missed. He went back inside the store and found Gallion entering the front door with his girlfriend. He fatally shot Gallion.

He then chased a woman through the store and fired, but missed.

“We must say clearly and forcefully that white supremacy has no place in America,” President Joe Biden said in a statement Sunday. “We must refuse to live in a country where Black families going to the store or Black students going to school live in fear of being gunned down because of the color of their skin.”


Biden spoke to Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan in the wake of Saturday’s horrific shooting. The president also spoke with Sheriff Waters. In both calls, he offered his full support to the people of Jacksonville, according to a statement Sunday evening from the White House.

Earlier Sunday, the pastor of St. Paul AME Church near the site of the shooting told congregants to follow Jesus Christ’s example and keep their sadness from turning to rage.

Mayor Deegan wept during the service. “Our hearts are broken,” the Rev. Willie Barnes told about 100 congregants. “If any of you are like me, I’m fighting trying to not be angry.”

Elected officials said racist attacks like Saturday’s have been encouraged by political rhetoric targeting “wokeness” and policies from the Republican-led state government headed by DeSantis, including one taking aim at the teaching of Black history in Florida.


“We must be clear, it was not just racially motivated, it was racist violence that has been perpetuated by rhetoric and policies designed to attack Black people, period,” said state Rep. Angie Nixon, a Jacksonville Democrat.

“We cannot sit idly by as our history is being erased, as our lives are being devalued, as wokeness is being attacked,” Nixon said. “Because let’s be clear — that is red meat to a base of voters.”

Rudolph McKissick, a national board member of the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network, Baptist bishop, and senior pastor of the Bethel Church in Jacksonville, was in the city on Saturday when the shooting occurred in the historically Black New Town neighborhood.

“Nobody is having honest, candid conversations about the presence of racism,” McKissick said.

Past shootings targeting Black Americans include one at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket in 2022 and a historic African Methodist Episcopal church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015.

The Buffalo shooting, which killed 10 people, stands apart as one of the deadliest targeted attacks on Black people by a lone white gunman in U.S. history. The shooter was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Florida Gov. Ron Desantis booed at vigil as hundreds mourn more racist killings

"What he did is totally unacceptable in the state of Florida," DeSantis said.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

HBCU president lauds students, officer for stopping Jacksonville killer before racist store attack
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Russ Bynum and Valerie Gonzalez
Published Aug 28, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 4 minute read

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A campus security officer tipped off by observant students likely stopped the killer who fatally shot three people at a nearby Dollar General Store from carrying out his racist attack at Edward Waters University, the president of the historically Black institution said Monday.


Students reported seeing a young, white man, pull into a campus library parking lot in Jacksonville, Florida, and begin putting on tactical gear Saturday, Edward Waters University President Zachary Faison Jr. said. They immediately flagged down a security officer who was on patrol to tell them what they saw.


The officer approached the car on foot when the driver — who would later be identified as the shooter at the store — sped off, hitting a curb and narrowly avoiding a brick column, Faison said. The campus officer, who the campus president called a hero, then called the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and shared the description of the vehicle.


Minutes later, the gunman made his way to a Dollar General Store down the road and killed Angela Michelle Carr, 52, an Uber driver who was shot in her car; store employee A.J. Laguerre, 19, who was shot as he tried to flee; and customer Jerrald Gallion, 29, who was shot as he entered the store in the predominantly Black New Town neighbourhood. The gunman killed himself after the murders.


“It’s not just on a whim that he chose to come to Florida’s first historically Black college or university,” said Faison, who expressed condolences to the families of the victims and confirmed none were part of the university.

The campus officer, Lt. Antonio Bailey, said he relied on his training when he responded to the students’ call saw the man in his vehicle wearing a tactical vest, gloves and a hat covering his head. He said he he did not see a weapon at that time.

“I’m no hero,” Bailey said. “If anything, it’s the students who alerted me so I could do my job.”

President Joe Biden called Monday — the 60th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Washington — for action to end the type of “hate-fueled violence” that authorities said motivated the Jacksonville shooting.


“We can’t let hate prevail, and it’s on the rise,” Biden said at the White House as he met with civil rights advocates and King’s children.

Faison requested help from the president to secure his campus as students expressed concerns for their safety. Faison said the director for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and members of the school will be conducting a risk assessment before they identify any modifications they may want to make on the campus.

Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said Monday that investigators believe the shooter specifically targeted the store and that he does not believe Edward Waters University was the intended location for the rampage. The sheriff declined to specify what reason the shooter may have had for targeting the store.


Waters said the man did not speak as he entered the store, but directed some shoppers — both Black and white people — to leave the building. He then began shooting.

“I don’t understand his rhyme or reason for why he did what he did and the way that he did it,” Waters said. “I know that for a fact he was targeting Black people.”

Some say Jacksonville — home to nearly 1 million people, one third of whom are Black — has made strides in dealing with its racist past. The city elected its first Black mayor in 2011. But the weekend shooting happened as the city was preparing to commemorate what it calls Ax Handle Saturday, when a white mob used baseball bats and ax handles to beat peaceful Black demonstrators protesting segregation at a downtown lunch counter on Aug. 27, 1960.


Civil rights attorney Ben Crump stood with the family of Gallion _- holding the man’s 4-year-old daughter, Je Asia, on his hip — at a press conference Monday and said he was also representing the Carr family.

“How do you explain to her where her father is? This is what this is about,” Crump said as Je Asia watched the audience.

Crump called for additional gun reform in the wake of the shooting, saying those who defend and champion gun rights have blood on their hands.

“How many more before the leaders will step up and help solve these issues, versus looking the other way?” Crump said.

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis was loudly booed Sunday as he spoke at a vigil in Jacksonville for the victims. Desantis, who is running for against Donald Trump and others for the GOP nomination for president, has loosened gun laws in his state and has antagonized civil rights leaders by deriding “wokeness.”


Authorities identified the shooter as Ryan Palmeter, 21, who they said was armed and ready to carry out an attack on Black people. During the attack, authorities said, Palmeter texted his father and told him to break into his room and check his computer.

Waters said a journal Palmeter’s father found in his room was “the diary of a madman,” that made it clear he hated Black people. The family notified authorities, but by then the shooting had already begun.

Palmeter used two guns — a Glock handgun and an AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle. Authorities said the weapons were purchased legally earlier this year despite once being involuntarily committed for a mental health exam.

— Gonzalez reported from McAllen, Texas. Darlene Superville in Washington, Jake Offenhartz in New York and Stefanie Dazio in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

HBCU president lauds students, officer for stopping Jacksonville killer before racist store attack

A campus officer likely stopped the killer of a shooting at a dollar store from carrying out his racist attack at the university.

torontosun.com

 

[petros]

Used an AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle.

Why not a real one intended for kids?

 

[spaminator]

Georgia sheriff pleads guilty to groping TV Judge Hatchett
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Published Aug 21, 2023 • 1 minute read

MARIETTA, Ga. — A Georgia sheriff pleaded guilty to groping TV judge Glenda Hatchett during a law enforcement conference last year and resigned from office Monday.


Bleckley County Sheriff Kristopher Coody pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of sexual battery in Cobb County State Court, news outlets reported. Hatchett addressed the court, saying the ordeal had “cut me to the core.”


“For this man to come up and violate me the way he did is unspeakable,” Hatchett said.

Hatchett is an Atlanta attorney and star of the reality courtroom shows “Judge Hatchett” and “The Verdict With Judge Hatchett.” In 2016, she represented the family of Philando Castile, a black driver who was shot dead by a police officer in a Twin Cities suburb, in a highly publicized lawsuit.

During a January 2022 conference of the Georgia Sheriff’s Association, while Hatchett was being introduced to a group of sheriffs at a hotel bar, Coody groped her, prosecutors said.


Thomas Brown, a former DeKalb County sheriff, said Hatchett came to the conference as his guest. Brown said he physically pulled Coody’s hand off of her.

“I saw his hand go down on her left breast,” Brown told WSB-TV. “I grabbed his arm, threw it off of her chest.”

Judge Carl Bowers sentenced Coody to serve one year on probation, pay a $500 fine and perform 400 hours of community service.

The sheriff’s attorney, Joel Pugh, said Coody sent a resignation letter Monday morning to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.

Coody had served since 2017 as sheriff of Bleckley County, a rural community of about 12,000 people located about 40 miles (64 kilometers) southeast of Macon.

The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they were victims of sexual abuse unless they come forward as Hatchett has.

Georgia sheriff pleads guilty to groping TV Judge Hatchett

A Georgia sheriff pleaded guilty to groping TV judge Glenda Hatchett during a law enforcement conference last year and resigned from office

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Black Montreal family removed from Air Canada flight alleges racial profiling
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Sidhartha Banerjee
Published Aug 29, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read
9 Comments
Keith Wright, second left, is flanked by his daughters Kelsey Smith-Wright, left, and Jodi Smith-Wright, and CRARR executive director Fo Niemi, right, at a press conference in Montreal, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023. The family has filed a complaint to the Canadian Human Rights Commission for racial profiling against Air Canada after the airline forced nine members of their family off a flight to Orlando on July 28, 2023.
Keith Wright, second left, is flanked by his daughters Kelsey Smith-Wright, left, and Jodi Smith-Wright, and CRARR executive director Fo Niemi, right, at a press conference in Montreal, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023. The family has filed a complaint to the Canadian Human Rights Commission for racial profiling against Air Canada after the airline forced nine members of their family off a flight to Orlando on July 28, 2023. PHOTO BY CHRISTINNE MUSCHI /The Canadian Press
Article content
MONTREAL — A Black Montreal family alleges they were victims of racial profiling by Air Canada when they were removed from a Florida-bound flight last month after raising concerns their bags hadn’t been loaded on the plane.


Members of the Wright family called for accountability on Tuesday as they told a news conference their version of how things unfolded on July 28 at Montreal-Trudeau International Airport.


Keith Wright said his daughter raised concerns to a flight attendant that the family’s bags were still visible on the rain-soaked tarmac. The 7:30 p.m. flight had been delayed due to inclement weather, and the pilot had announced that some luggage would be left behind because the plane was over its weight limit.

After the Wright family spoke out, the plane returned to the gate and staff said they would find a remedy.

Wright, 55, said a white passenger who had complained about the delay and demanded to leave was asked to disembark with his young son. But to Wright’s surprise, he and his daughter were also asked to leave the plane and were allegedly not told why.


His daughter, Jodi Smith-Wright, 31, insisted that neither she nor her father raised their voices, swore or were otherwise impolite.

“I couldn’t believe that asking a question could lead to what happened to us and I do believe it was (racial profiling) because there were other people that were definitely concerned about their things when they overheard my complaint and nobody else was asked to get off the plane,” she said.

Her father said being escorted from the rear of the craft created a deep embarrassment. “Completely, deeply hurt as a human being that this was happening to me.”

Seven other members of the family — ranging in age from five to 60 — were also removed from the flight. Wright said another Black family was also asked to leave the plane but was finally allowed to stay when they said they weren’t travelling with the Wrights.


Wright said that after his family left the plane they were met by six officers, including Canada Border Services Agency agents and Montreal police.

“I couldn’t believe what was happening here just for asking for the service that Air Canada says they provide,” Wright said.

The family had to scramble to find an alternate flight for nine people after an Air Canada official said they would be banned from flying with the carrier for 24 hours. They ended up with a sleepless night driving three personal vehicles to Syracuse, N.Y., to catch a last-minute morning flight, almost missing their cruise, which itself cost nearly $12,000.

“By the grace of God, we were able to make the cruise with 20 minutes to spare,” Wright said.


Before getting on a return Air Canada flight after the cruise, he said he had to speak with an airline agent. “They were asking me if I was going be quiet, and I had to tell the person, ’Yes, I’m going to be in compliance,’ like if I had committed some sort of major crime,” Wright said.

The family said Tuesday it intends to file racial profiling complaints with the Canadian Human Rights Commission, assisted by the Montreal-based Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations.

In an emailed statement, Air Canada confirmed that a group of passengers were deplaned following “an incident on board the aircraft.”

Christophe Hennebelle, vice-president for corporate communications, said the airline would not discuss what led to the decision, adding that the carrier deals with customers directly.


“However, these actions were taken only for the safety and well-being of our other customers and crew,” Hennebelle wrote. “Should a complaint on this matter be filed with the competent authorities, we will take the opportunity at that time to explain our decision.”

Fo Niemi, executive director of CRAAR, said each family member could seek up to $10,000 and that the commission’s investigation will shed light on the alleged safety concern.

“We hope that this incident will compel not only Air Canada, but the airline industry, to come up with clear policy against racial profiling in commercial air travel,” Niemi said.

Black Montreal family removed from Air Canada flight alleges racial profiling

A Black Montreal family says they were victims of racial profiling when they were removed from a Florida-bound flight.

torontosun.com

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

That sounds just like typical Air Canada "service".

 

[spaminator]

Man who killed 3 at a Dollar General in Jacksonville used to work at a dollar store, sheriff says
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Russ Bynum
Published Aug 29, 2023 • 3 minute read

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville shooter used to work at a dollar store and stopped in at one before a security guard’s presence apparently led him to instead target the Dollar General down the road, where he killed three people.


The shooter worked at a Dollar Tree from October 2021 to July 2022, Sheriff T.K. Waters said at a news conference Monday. And, the sheriff said, he stopped at a Family Dollar store Saturday before pulling into a parking lot at Edward Waters University, where he donned tactical gear. He left when security approached.


“Based off what we saw: him stopping off at the Family Dollar and working at a Dollar Tree previously and then him going to Dollar General, that was his intent the whole time,” Waters said. “Why that store? Still hard to tell.”

Security footage from the Family Dollar shows him walking in and leaving a few minutes later with a small shopping bag. But after he reached his car, Waters said, a security guard pulled into the lot and the shooter left.


Waters believes the guard’s presence deterred him. It appeared the shooter wanted to take action at the Family Dollar, but he got tired of waiting, Waters said.

Minutes later, the gunman made his way to the Dollar General in the predominantly Black New Town neighborhood and killed Angela Michelle Carr, 52, an Uber driver who was shot in her car; store employee A.J. Laguerre, 19, who was shot as he tried to flee; and customer Jerrald Gallion, 29, who was shot as he entered the store. The gunman then killed himself.


The Dollar Tree and Family Dollar chains have the same owner. Dollar General is a separate company.

Zachary Faison Jr., president of Edward Waters University, had said Monday that the security officer, tipped off by observant students, likely stopped the killer from carrying out his racist attack at the historically Black institution. When the officer approached the shooter’s vehicle, the driver sped off, hitting a curb and narrowly avoiding a brick column, Faison said.


But Waters said he doesn’t believe Edward Waters was the intended location for the rampage. He noted two African American males were in the vehicle next to the shooter’s in the lot.

Jacksonville is home to nearly 1 million people, one third of whom are Black. The city elected its first Black mayor in 2011.

The weekend shooting happened as the city was preparing to commemorate what it calls Ax Handle Saturday, when a white mob used baseball bats and ax handles to beat peaceful Black demonstrators protesting segregation at a downtown lunch counter on Aug. 27, 1960.

Authorities identified the shooter as Ryan Palmeter, 21, who they said was armed and ready to carry out an attack on Black people. During the attack, authorities said, Palmeter texted his father and told him to break into his room and check his computer.


Waters said a journal Palmeter’s father found in his room was “the diary of a madman” that made it clear he hated Black people. The family notified authorities, but by then the shooting had already begun.

Palmeter used two guns — a Glock handgun and an AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle. Authorities said the weapons were purchased legally this year despite once being involuntarily committed for a mental health exam.

Man who killed 3 at a Dollar General in Jacksonville used to work at a dollar store, sheriff says

The shooter worked at a Dollar Tree from October 2021 to July 2022, Sheriff T.K. Waters said at a news conference.

torontosun.com

 

[Ron in Regina]

 

[spaminator]

Student allowed to keep ‘Don’t tread on me’ patch on backpack after school backs down
Author of the articleenette Wilford
Published Aug 31, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read

A school in Colorado was forced to let a student keep a controversial patch on his backpack after a teacher ordered him to remove it.


Footage of Jaiden, 12, being told by a school official that he couldn’t have the historic Gadsden flag with the words “Don’t Tread on Me” patch on his bag “due to its origins with slavery and slave trade” caught the attention of many.


The director at The Vanguard School in Colorado Springs said it was “disruptive to the classroom environment.”

The school has since backed down following an emergency meeting comprised of the school’s board of directors.

Connor Boyack, an education expert and president of the Libertas Institute in Utah, released a screenshot of a statement from the Vanguard School Board of Directors on X with the caption, “We won!”

“At this time, the Vanguard School Board and the District have informed the student’s family that he may attend school with the Gadsden flag patch visible on his backpack,” the statement read.


It appears after speaking to Jaiden’s mother, the school itself was schooled on the Gadsden flag.

“From Vanguard’s founding we have proudly supported our Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the ordered liberty that all Americans have enjoyed for almost 250 years,” the statement continued.

“The Vanguard School recognizes the historical significance of the Gadsden flag and its place in history. This incident is an occasion for us to reaffirm our deep commitment to a classical education in support of these American principles.”

Jaiden’s mom filmed the meeting involving her son and the administrator, who said, “So the reason that they do not want the flag — the reason we do not want the flag displayed — is due to its origins with slavery, and the slave trade.”


She explained, “The bag can’t go back if it’s got the patch on it, ‘cause we can’t have that in and around other kids.”



But Jaiden’s mom defended her son and the flag, saying it comes from the American Revolution as a symbol of the 13 colonies’ fight against the British Crown and did not promote slavery.

She can be heard in the video saying: “It has nothing to do with slavery, that’s like the Revolutionary War patch that was displayed when they were fighting the British.”



The mom even questioned the school official if she was mistaking it for the Confederate Flag, to which she replied, “I am here to enforce the policy that was provided by the district and definitely, you have every right not to agree with it.”

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis even weighed in on the issue, denying the flag was racist and calling the whole thing a “great teaching moment.”

Jaiden himself has made his own video following the school’s decision to allow him to keep the patch on his backpack.



“Today was a good day. The kids were really hyped up. They are putting ‘don’t tread on me’ on their lockers. Now they like me all of sudden,” he said of his newfound social media popularity.

“But the teachers on the other hand, I got some dirty looks, that’s for sure. They are definitely not happy with me.”

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1696995017699496021

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1696543897256915102

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1696508336345153691

Student allowed to keep ‘Don’t tread on me’ patch on backpack after school backs down

A school in Colorado was forced to let a student keep a controversial patch on his backpack after a teacher ordered him to remove it.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Ohio police release video showing officer’s fatal shooting of pregnant Black woman Ta’Kiya Young
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Samantha Hendrickson
Published Sep 01, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 4 minute read
Police Shooting Pregnant Woman Killed
This still image from bodycam video released by the Blendon Township Police on Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, shows an officer pointing his gun at Ta’Kiya Young moments before shooting her through the windshield outside a grocery store in Blendon Township, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus, on Aug. 24. The pregnant Black mother was pronounced dead shortly after the shooting. Her unborn daughter did not survive. The video was pixelated by the source. PHOTO BY SCREENSHOT /Blendon Township Police via AP
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio authorities on Friday released bodycam video showing a police officer fatally shooting Ta’Kiya Young in her car in what her family denounced as a “gross misuse of power and authority” against the pregnant Black mother.


Sean Walton, an attorney representing Young’s family, said the video clearly shows that the Aug. 24 shooting of the 21-year-old woman was unjustified and he called for the officer who shot her to be fired immediately and charged in her death. Walton also criticized police for not releasing the video footage for more than a week after the shooting.


“Ta’Kiya’s family is heartbroken,” Walton said in an interview with The Associated Press. “The video did nothing but confirm their fears that Ta’Kiya was murdered unjustifiably. Ta’Kiya and her young daughter were murdered unjustifiably, and it was just heartbreaking for them to see Ta’Kiya having her life taken away under such ridiculous circumstances.”

The officer who shot Young is on paid administrative leave while the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation examines the shooting, which is standard practice. A message was left with the police union seeking comment on the family’s call for the officer’s dismissal and prosecution. The names, races and ranks of the officer and a second officer who was on the scene have not been released. The other officer has since returned to active duty.


In a statement, Blendon Township Police Chief John called the shooting a “tragedy.”

“Ms. Young’s family is understandably very upset and grieving” he said. “While none of us can fully understand the depths of their pain, all of us can remember them in our prayers and give them the time and space to deal with this heartbreaking turn of events.”

Young’s death follows a troubling series of fatal shootings of Black adults and children by Ohio police in recent years that have prompted protests and a demand for policy changes.

Young’s father, grandmother and other relatives watched the video before its public release and released a statement Friday through Walton.

“It is undeniable that Ta’Kiya’s death was not only avoidable, but also a gross misuse of power and authority,” the statement said. While viewing the video, the family felt “a lot of anger, a lot of frustration,” Walton told The Associated Press.


“More than anything, there was … a sense of just devastation, to know that this power system, these police officers, could stop her and so quickly take her life for no justifiable reason.”

The video shows an officer at the driver’s side window telling Young she has been accused of theft and repeatedly demanding that she get out of the car. A second officer is standing in front of the car.

Police Shooting Pregnant Woman Killed
Young was pregnant and due to give birth in November, according to her family.
Young protests, and the first officer repeats his demand. Young then turns the steering wheel to her right and the car moves toward the officer standing in front of it, who fires his gun through the windshield. Young’s sedan then drifts into the grocery store’s brick wall.

Officers then break the driver’s side window, which Belford said was to get Young out of the car and render medical aid, though footage of the medical assistance was not provided.


Responding to the criticism of the delay in releasing the video, Belford said it took time for his small staff to process it and properly redact certain footage, such as officers’ faces and badge numbers, in accordance with Ohio law.

He said the officers’ names cannot be released at this point because they are being treated as assault victims. He said one of the officer’s arms was still partially in the driver’s side window and a second officer was still standing in front of the car when Young moved the car forward.

Young’s death is one of many fatal shootings of Black adults and children by Ohio police in recent years.

Donovan Lewis was lying on his bed in August 2022 when he was shot by a K-9 officer serving a warrant. Ma’Khia Bryant, a 16-year-old girl in foster care who was accused of swinging at two people with a knife, was fatally shot in April 2021, minutes before the guilty verdict was announced for the Minnesota police involved in the death of George Floyd. In December 2020, Casey Goodson Jr., was shot five times in the back by a Franklin County sheriff’s deputy.


Young was expected to give birth to a daughter in November. Family and friends held a private vigil a day after Young was killed, releasing balloons and lighting candles spelling out “RIP Kiya.” An online effort to pay her funeral expenses has raised over $7,000.

Ta’Kiya’s siblings, cousins, grandmother and father have rallied around her sons, 6-year-old Ja’Kobie and 3-year-old Ja’Kenlie, who don’t yet understand the magnitude of what happened to their mother, Walton said.

“It’s a large family and Ta’Kiya has been snatched away from them,” Walton said. “I think the entire family is still in shock.”

Young’s grandmother, Nadine Young, described her granddaughter as a family-oriented prankster who was a loving older sister and mother.

“She was so excited to have this little girl,” the grandmother said at a news conference Wednesday. “She has her two little boys, but she was so fired up to have this girl. She is going to be so missed.”

“I’m a mess because it’s just tragic,” she said, “but it should have never ever ever happened.”

Ohio police release video showing officer’s fatal shooting of pregnant Black woman Ta’Kiya Young

The footage shows Young slowly accelerating toward the officer in her path before firing the single bullet that ended her life.

torontosun.com

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Got his notch.

Blue Lives Matter.

 

[Dixie Cup]

What happened to shooting the at the car to disable it before it got too close to the cop? What happened to "thinking" police who should know better? Guess we'll have to wait & see for the facts to come out b'cuz we don't know the whole story nor does the video show what happened before she was shot. Still, the cops need to use their bloody brains (if they have any).

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

What happened to shooting the at the car to disable it before it got too close to the cop? What happened to "thinking" police who should know better? Guess we'll have to wait & see for the facts to come out b'cuz we don't know the whole story nor does the video show what happened before she was shot. Still, the cops need to use their bloody brains (if they have any).

Well, Trump did tell 'em not to be "too gentle."

Summary execution for suspicion of petty theft sounds about right.

 

[Ron in Regina]

What happened to shooting the at the car to disable it before it got too close to the cop?

You can’t shoot to disable the car if you’re standing 2-3’ in front of it. That leaves one target.

What happened to basic training like “don’t stand directly in front (or behind) of a running car with someone behind the wheel?” Always OFFSET yourself from that situation…I took a basic 5hr course 40yrs ago to park cars for the exhibition association as a teen & got a cheesy certificate…& that was something that stood out to me then and now.

What happened to "thinking" police who should know better?

What happened to “keep your finger off the trigger until/unless you’re going to pull it” gun training? Helps prevent Alec Baldwin situations.

Guess we'll have to wait & see for the facts to come out b'cuz we don't know the whole story nor does the video show what happened before she was shot.

Guess the Officer placed himself directly in front of a running auto, with someone behind the wheel, with his finger on the trigger, according to his OWN body cam footage. Thats looking premeditated to me but I’m not any kind of authority.

Still, the cops need to use their bloody brains (if they have any).

Sure glad bodycam’s are a thing that exist now, as this story might be very different without one.

Got his notch.

Blue Lives Matter.

Two actually, with her being pregnant.

I watched a little snippet of released video, with the officer who shot Young breaking into a different car parked in the handicap parking stalls not 15 seconds before he has his gun out, finger on the trigger, and pointing it at Ta’Kiya Young through her windshield.

Nice De-Escalation Tactics being demonstrated too with the swearing & banging on her vehicle. This woman was effectively dead as soon as she closed her car door while the officers were still trying to break into the vehicle behind hers.

Here’s a separate breakdown of the encounter:

I wonder if Ta’Kiya Young actually took anything from the Kroger grocery store or not, but I guess that’s irrelevant to the outcome of the situation.

…& here are five de-escalation techniques:

1. Speak calmly and with the right tone and use of words
2. Ensure your body language is relaxed and in control
3. Make a connection and be empathetic with people
4. Get the agitated person away from weapons, harm, and other people
5. Provide them with choices that empower them to comply

This 5 step de-escalation technique helps calm tense situations

Review these 5 steps used as part of de-escalation techniques. They can be used on kids, coworkers, and others.

vantagepointc.com

It's important to remember that de-escalation is a philosophy, not a process. However, there are certain de-escalation techniques that can help.

De-escalation training teaches police officers to slow things down, create space, ask open-ended questions, build a rapport with subjects, and hold off reaching for their guns.

One of the biggest benefits of police de-escalation is reducing the need for use of force by police officers, as well as officer-involved shootings. It also greatly reduces the likelihood that officers will be hurt during a confrontation.

Police De-escalation Training and Techniques | PowerDMS

Access expert guidance on police de-escalation training and techniques. We empower law enforcement agencies to prioritize peaceful conflict resolution.

www.powerdms.com

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

Guess the Officer placed himself directly in front of a running auto, with someone behind the wheel, with his finger on the trigger, according to his OWN body cam footage. Thats looking premeditated to me but I’m not any kind of authority.

I don't think pre-medidation is in question here. The officer obviously intended to shoot if he got threatened, The question was he threatened? He put himself in a position to be threatened by standing in front of the car. But I tend to think he could have just as easily jumped to the side and got out of the way into safety rather than firing the trigger. They were dealing with a thief and not murderer or someone who had a hostage. Not even sure why the gun was out in the first place. I don't see how they can not charge him.

 

[Ron in Regina]

I don't think pre-medidation is in question here. The officer obviously intended to shoot if he got threatened, The question was he threatened?

The question is, who was threatening whom (?) and who felt threatened?

He put himself in a position to be threatened by standing in front of the car.

Like “Clint Eastwood” from a police movie from the ‘70’s, Dirty Harry style.

But I tend to think he could have just as easily jumped to the side and got out of the way into safety rather than firing the trigger.

Or not been in front (or behind) of a running vehicle to start with.

They were dealing with a thief and not murderer or someone who had a hostage. Not even sure why the gun was out in the first place. I don't see how they can not charge him.

I think that was Felony Retarded on the Officer's part. What prevented him from standing offset from the front of the automobile on the driver side, and still with full view of the woman behind the wheel?

The only thing I can think of is that it was nowhere near “John Wayne” enough to complement his drawn firearm with his finger on the trigger, while his partner was swearing and banging on the windows.

Again, nice de-escalation techniques.

What prevented the officer who was swearing and banging on the windows, to instead request that the woman behind the wheel shut off the ignition….& after that point explain why she was being detained and request for her to exit the vehicle??? Just wasn’t Cowboy enough (?) or a complete & total lack of training (?) or some combination of the two (?) or something else?

These two officers were dealing with a “Potential” thief…who may or may not have stolen something from the Kroger grocery store. Did they govern themselves accordingly?

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

But. . . but. . . he was in FEAR of his LAF!

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

Like “Clint Eastwood” from a police movie from the ‘70’s, Dirty Harry style.

So you have discovered the training course this department gives it's officers before putting them on the street!

 

[Ron in Regina]

So you have discovered the training course this department gives it's officers before putting them on the street!

When not resorting to YouTube clips like this one:

There might still be archival footage on VHS at the public libraries. Yikes…

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

What's the problem? The problem is undertrained, self-selected bully boys who are too stupid for college, too gutless for the Army, and too lazy to work exercising their sad little egos behind a badge and a gun, with the full support and license granted them by a population of terrified citizens who don't give a shit how many people are murdered so long as they and their property can enjoy the illusion of safety.

The answer is training and discipline. That's easy. Getting the pols and the top cops to sign on is the hard part.