Another black man has been killed by a police officer and it has been captured on video.
The shooting actually occurred in June of 2014, but the family of the deceased has just decided to release the video.
Jason Harrison was 38 years old and suffered from bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. His mother had called for help to take him to a hospital because he was having a “mental crisis.” When cops showed up, you can plainly hear the woman reiterate that Harrison has bipolar disorder and is schizophrenic. He then appears in the doorway and seems to be passively holding a screwdriver.
The cop, from the Dallas Police Department, demands him to drop the screwdriver, and within seconds, numerous shots are fired, killing?him. The cop says that he was still alive on the video, but we do not see them doing anything to help him. I cannot say whether they tried to save him after the video cuts off.
On the video, we can also hear one cowardly remark from the cop:
“He was in the doorway. He had a screwdriver. We had this behind us. We had to shoot him. He came at us.”
I have two words for this cop: SCREW YOU.
I am utterly sick and tired of these same stories of cops being so deathly afraid of any and every person of color. They came at us, we shot them. It was obviously necessary to shoot them in the head or chest and kill them.
Absolutely not!
There is a lack of care throughout police culture. What do I mean? Well, these lives just aren’t seen as having value, at least not equal value to cops or white people. The disproportionate number of blacks killed over ridiculous things like, being naked, or “reaching for a gun” (that doesn’t exist) keeps reminding us that the degradation of black and brown bodies is real.
If someone cannot subdue a person (if subduing is even necessary) without using lethal and deadly force, then you shouldn’t be an officer.
But wait! What if this is how they are trained?
I am not a cop and have never been, but when I was in a mock jury not too long ago with?a former officer, she admitted out loud that they are taught to shoot to kill.
This barbaric culture of aiming for the heads (Darren Wilson) or the torso, and firing within seconds over childish things like a screwdriver, has to stop. And why aim for such deadly places to begin with? The screenshot shown above shows the officer aiming at the head of Harrison, even after he had already shot him. What kind of cowards do this? What cowards fire numerous times over small and non-threatening things? Only cops can get away with countless outlandish?stories, and it has to stop.
Jason’s family has filed a federal lawsuit against the city and the two officers in the video. This case appears to still be pending. In my opinion, it is obvious that this was a rush to judgment, taking into NO account that he was mentally ill, and clearly exerting unnecessary force.I hope they are punished for their actions.
