Motorist to South Carolina Trooper: "Why did you shoot me?"
What would prompt a South Carolina trooper to shoot an unarmed motorist? And, what is to come next for each of them?
CNN's Martin Savidge tells the story of an African-American man, shot by a white cop, while simply reaching for the wallet in his vehicle.
"Well, you dove headfirst back into your car," explained the officer, in audio heard via the police car dash cam.
Is this a case of an honest mistake, or an unacceptable and inexplicable error?
Watch the above clip for Savidge's full report, including video of the shooting, and updates as to the physical and legal statuses of both men.
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Post by: AC360 Filed under: Crime & Punishment • Martin Savidge |
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Obviously the police have to change their tactics on how they approach and deal with citizens. If they are so frightened of potential threats, perhaps justifiably so, then new tactics and protocols have to be developed. This fellow was pulled over for a seat belt infraction, something that should not result in him being shot. Surely there must be a solution to this such as officers not approaching citizens until they can see they have no weapons. Or maybe carrying a bullet resistant shield they can have in front of them. And maybe asking citizens first if they have their drivers license on their person. And apparently citizens must communicate to police officers that their wallets are in their vehicle and that they will have to reach in and retrieve it. That way an officer is not surprised by a sudden move. It is looking more and more like courses need to be offered too for citizens on how to deal with the police when being pulled over. Effective communications are important in these kinds of situations. Police officers are shot and killed far to often and I can understand their anxiety about potential threats. But citizens are now being shot by police far too often as well and this has to stop.