FBI Investigates Cop's Killing of Black Teen
The FBI launched its own investigation Wednesday into the murder of 13-year-old Devin Brown who was shot and killed by Los Angeles Police.
"The FBI has now joined the investigation and will be looking into this from the U.S. Attorney's Office perspective, related to potential civil-rights violations," said LAPD Chief William Bratton during a news conference.
Brown, an African American, was killed Sunday after police suspected the eighth-grader was driving a stolen vehicle. After a brief chase, the car backed into to police cruiser. Officers fired 10 rounds at the car, according to police.
During a news conference earlier this week, Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn requested that police alter their policy concerning firing at occupied vehicles and urged a thorough investigation into the shooting. “I am joining in the anger and the frustration, and I stand here with great concern over this latest use of force,” Hahn said. Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) described the killing as another instance of police behaving “as judge, jury and executioner.”
“We will not be quiet. None of us can be silenced in the face of repeated injustice,” said Waters, referring to the Brown case and that of Stanley Miller, who was beaten with a flashlight by police. Last week, the district attorney found insufficient evidence to prosecute the officers involved in the Miller case, even though the incident was caught on tape.
“When I learned about the killing of 13-year-old Devin Brown, an African-American boy, on the street corner in South Central Los Angeles, quite frankly, my reaction was, ‘Once again, the police in our community act as judge, jury and executioner,’ ” Waters said in a press release.
Initially, police reported that Brown, a student at a Los Angeles magnet school for the gifted, was a gang member. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Kevin Mitchell, a gang-prevention specialist who knew Brown, told the Daily News that Brown was not in a gang – “yet.”
“It’s a bad crowd he was starting to hang with, but he wasn’t a gang member yet. God called him before the gang bangers called him,” Mitchell said. Brown’s 14-year-old driving companion ran from the vehicle, was apprehended and booked on auto theft.
The officers involved in the shooting, Steven Garcia and Dana Grant, have been assigned to desk duty pending the outcome of the investigation.
Los Angeles Police Commissioner Rick Caruso said the officers “never intended” to kill anyone. He expressed regret during a meeting with members of the community. “To the African-American community and to all of Los Angeles, I apologize,” he said.
_____________________________________________
What can be done to prevent such tragedies?
"The FBI has now joined the investigation and will be looking into this from the U.S. Attorney's Office perspective, related to potential civil-rights violations," said LAPD Chief William Bratton during a news conference.
Brown, an African American, was killed Sunday after police suspected the eighth-grader was driving a stolen vehicle. After a brief chase, the car backed into to police cruiser. Officers fired 10 rounds at the car, according to police.
During a news conference earlier this week, Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn requested that police alter their policy concerning firing at occupied vehicles and urged a thorough investigation into the shooting. “I am joining in the anger and the frustration, and I stand here with great concern over this latest use of force,” Hahn said. Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) described the killing as another instance of police behaving “as judge, jury and executioner.”
“We will not be quiet. None of us can be silenced in the face of repeated injustice,” said Waters, referring to the Brown case and that of Stanley Miller, who was beaten with a flashlight by police. Last week, the district attorney found insufficient evidence to prosecute the officers involved in the Miller case, even though the incident was caught on tape.
“When I learned about the killing of 13-year-old Devin Brown, an African-American boy, on the street corner in South Central Los Angeles, quite frankly, my reaction was, ‘Once again, the police in our community act as judge, jury and executioner,’ ” Waters said in a press release.
Initially, police reported that Brown, a student at a Los Angeles magnet school for the gifted, was a gang member. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Kevin Mitchell, a gang-prevention specialist who knew Brown, told the Daily News that Brown was not in a gang – “yet.”
“It’s a bad crowd he was starting to hang with, but he wasn’t a gang member yet. God called him before the gang bangers called him,” Mitchell said. Brown’s 14-year-old driving companion ran from the vehicle, was apprehended and booked on auto theft.
The officers involved in the shooting, Steven Garcia and Dana Grant, have been assigned to desk duty pending the outcome of the investigation.
Los Angeles Police Commissioner Rick Caruso said the officers “never intended” to kill anyone. He expressed regret during a meeting with members of the community. “To the African-American community and to all of Los Angeles, I apologize,” he said.
_____________________________________________
What can be done to prevent such tragedies?
posted by blackconsciousmen at 1:50 PM
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