Utah pigs shoot a black teenager armed w/ a broomstick.. The teenager is currently in a coma...
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http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/feb/28/utah-police-shooting-male-holding-broomstick-unrest
Utah police battle angry crowd after officer shoots male wielding broomstick
A male who authorities say was wielding a broomstick was shot and critically injured by Salt Lake City officers on Saturday night, touching off hours of unrest as officers wore riot gear and bystanders threw rocks and bottles.
The male shot by two Salt Lake City police officers was in critical condition at a local hospital on Sunday morning after being struck twice in the torso, according to detective Ken Hansen with the Unified police department, which is investigating the shooting.
Hansen did not have details about the male’s identity or age, but a bystander told local newspapers that the male was a teenager.
Salt Lake City police detective Greg Wilking said two police officers are on administrative leave as a result of the shooting.
Hansen said the shooting occurred when two officers were called around 8pm to break up a fight, near a downtown homeless shelter that stands next to a shopping mall and movie theater.
When the officers arrived, they found the male in the street, hitting another person with the broomstick, Hansen said. Officers tried to break up the fight, but the male with the broomstick tried to attack an officer, according to the detective.
One or both of the police officers shot the male, hitting him in the upper and lower torso, Hansen said. He did not have details about the identity of the other person involved in the fight, what prompted the dispute, or whether anyone else was injured.
There’s still a lot to go through,” Hansen said. Police were not releasing the identity of the officers, he added.
Bystander Selam Mohammad told the Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret News that his teenage friend was shot by police.
Mohammad said his friend was holding the broomstick at his side when officers arrived, and that police shot him as soon as he turned around.
Hansen did not have details on Sunday about how many shots were fired or how far away the male with the broomstick was from police when they pulled their guns. He did not know the size of the broomstick or whether it was sharpened. He also did not know whether the male had a gun, knife or any other weapon.
After the shooting, bystanders began yelling obscenities and throwing rocks and bottles at police, who called in about 100 officers to help.
Hansen said one officer was hit with a bottle, but he did not have details about whether that officer or any other was injured. He did not have details about any arrests and directed those questions to Salt Lake City police.
Salt Lake City police did not return messages on Sunday morning. Wilking had few details about what prompted the fight or how the shooting unfolded.
“Our officers arriving on scene encountered a lot of hostile people upset about what had taken place,” Wilking told the Deseret News.
Police, including some wearing helmets and carrying riot shields, barricaded four surrounding city blocks. A light rail stop was closed.
“We’re locking down the area, barricading off streets and having a strong officer presence in the area,” Wilking told the newspaper on Saturday night. He said some people were detained and witnesses were being interviewed at police headquarters.
“There were pockets of that disturbance for hours,” Hansen said on Sunday.
He said the protesters throwing rocks and bottles were people hanging out near the shelter. He didn’t know if they were homeless, but he said they were not customers of the nearby shopping center.
Hansen said the area was relatively busy, with people visiting the shopping center and restaurants and others hanging out near the shelter and homeless facilities.
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http://fox13now.com/2016/02/28/salt-lake-city-mayor-gives-statement-on-police-use-of-force-after-teen-shot-by-officer/Salt Lake City Mayor gives statement on police use of force after teen shot by officer
SALT LAKE CITY — The day after an officer-involved shooting in downtown Salt Lake City sparked an angry response from crowds, which in turn prompted a massive police response, Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski issued a statement on the shooting and the broader issue of police use of force.
“Like many in our community, I am deeply saddened and concerned by the events that took place in Downtown Salt Lake City last night,” Biskupski’s statement begins. “While the shooting is still under investigation, there is no doubt what happened is a tragedy for all involved and for our entire city.”
Salt Lake City Police Department personnel confirmed two of their officers were involved and that at least one officer fired shots while intervening in an altercation between a teenage male and an older man. The teen’s family has identified him as 17-year-old Abdi Mohamed, and they say he is in a coma Saturday.
“The use of force by law enforcement against the public can tear at the delicate balance of trust between both sides, and must be taken extremely seriously,” Biskupski continues. “These incidents create a number of unanswered questions in the short term, and justice requires we work together in good faith to find answers.”
The mayor says she has complete confidence in the Unified Police Department and the District Attorney’s Office, which are the two agencies investigating. She said she has directed Salt Lake City PD to release as much information as they can without compromising their investigation, and she has asked Chief Brown to reach out to Mohamed’s family and to meet with members of the police reform community as quickly as possible.
Biskupski said she knows this is the third “significant use of force incident” for Salt Lake City police in the last month, and she said she had a “serious conversation with Police Chief Brown and members of his team to review details about each of these incidents, including a discussion on training and whether de-escalation efforts could have been implemented.”
She says more conversations with even more stakeholders will happen in the weeks to come.
The previous two incidents Biskupski is referring to are the shooting of 28-year-old Palm Lautaimi after officers confronting the man, who had recently been released from jail despite parole violations involving drugs and a gun, said the man became violent.
The other incident involved 23-year-old Leon Dane Hall, who allegedly severed an officers ear while wielding a lawn ornament. The man’s mother has accused police of using excessive force during the altercation and arrest.
The statement from the mayor concludes with:
“It is critical in times like these we do not circle the wagons against each other in our efforts to improve our criminal justice system–and we can always improve. I encourage the public to stay involved and engage in civil dialogue.” -
Gotdammnit man I it was a mandatory rule and way to have body cameras on at all time because this story sounds like ? smh.
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https://www.ksl.com/index.php?sid=38684891&nid=148&title=police-investigating-shooting-riot-in-downtown-slcSelam Mohammad, 19, told reporters he was with his friend, a 17-year-old from Kenya, when an altercation broke out.
Mohammad said his friend had a broomstick in his hand when he engaged in a confrontation with a man. That's when Mohammad said he and his other friends tried to break up the fight.
But Mohammad said officers "ran up with their guns pulled out" and told his friend to drop the broomstick.
"He barely even turned around, then boom, boom, boom — and he just dropped," Mohammad said. "I know he got hit in the chest and in the stomach."
Mohammad said he was worried about his friend's condition and was trying to find a ride to the hospital to check on him.
He said "there's a reason" people were outraged by the situation. Police, he said, were "out of line."
"My friend didn't do anything," Mohammad said. "He wasn't hitting anybody. He wasn't swinging at the guy or anything."
http://fox13now.com/2016/02/28/family-ids-teen-shot-by-police-in-downtown-slc/Selam Mohammed, who was walking with Abdi at the time of the shooting, said Abdi had picked up a broken broom stick right before police arrived.
“The police said, ‘drop it’, once, then they shot him four times,” Selam Mohammed recalled. “We were trying to break it up before the police even came, but the police ran in on foot and pulled their guns out already. They already had them, like, as soon as he was running he was already grabbing for his gun, not even trying to Tase him or anything.”
Mohamed is from Kenya and moved to Utah about 10 years ago, according to family. He lives in West Valley City with his girlfriend and their son.
“He was a really caring, good, loving boyfriend, and a really, good caring loving father, I know what he was doing every day, the things he would do for us, I wouldn’t expect that from him he just wanted to make sure we were loved and we were happy he put us in front of everything,” said girlfriend Becca Monson.
Monson said she hopes people don’t judge him unfairly.
“I’m really angry and really sad, I just want to see him honestly, I just want to see him and make sure he knows that he is loved and there are people out here that care about him and there are people that want to see him do good,” Monson said.
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When i was young i used to really believe the propaganda that only the bravest ppl became cops because they're not afraid of anything and cowards couldn't be cops... as an adult i realize ppl become cops Because they are scared of Everything, including broomsticks.. a ? broomstick
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Gotdammnit man I it was a mandatory rule and way to have body cameras on at all time because this story sounds like ? smh.
Good Thought, but you know they'll find a way to turn them off or "lose" the feed.
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This is getting out of hand .. And you wonder why cops don't get any sympathy when one of theirs are shoot and killed
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When i was young i used to really believe the propaganda that only the bravest ppl became cops because they're not afraid of anything and cowards couldn't be cops... as an adult i realize ppl become cops Because they are scared of Everything, including broomsticks.. a ? broomstick
It was his blackness, not the broomstick. -
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/latest-probe-underway-salt-lake-city-police-shooting-37259493Salt Lake City police say a 17-year-old boy and another male were attacking a third male with metal sticks when officers shot the teenager Saturday night.
Police said in a statement that the teenage boy did not drop the object when ordered to do so by police and instead advanced on the victim.
Police did not release the teenager's identity but said he remained in critical condition Sunday afternoon.
Detective Greg Wilking had no details about the other two males involved or about the metal sticks. He said the male who was being hit with the sticks did not require medical attention.
Wilking did not know if police had spoken with the other male who was using the metal stick or if he had fled the scene. He says that male did drop the stick when ordered to do so by police.Salt Lake City police say they will not release footage from body cameras worn by two officers who shot a 17-year-old boy wielding a metal stick.
Police cited the ongoing investigation into the shooting and possible charges against the teenager as to why they would not release the video Sunday.
Officers say the 17-year-old and another male were attacking a third male with metal sticks when officers shot the teenager Saturday night.
Police did not release the teenager's identity but said he remained in critical condition Sunday afternoon.
Detective Greg Wilking had no details about the other two males involved or about the metal sticks. He said the male who was being hit with the sticks did not require medical attention. -
Enough is enough.
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http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/salt-lake-city-withhold-footage-police-shooting-37283308Salt Lake City Police Shooting Raises Questions
At the bottom of a wooden light post, well-wishers cobbled together a makeshift memorial with roses, candles and a beer can for a 17-year-old boy who was in critical condition after being shot by Salt Lake City police.
A sign reading "Police camera in use" is posted halfway up the pole at the scene of the Saturday shooting near the city's primary homeless shelter on a street notorious for drug deals and fights.
The shooting once again raised questions about police use of force and the role of race.
Police say the teenager, whose identity was being withheld, was shot twice in the torso when police intervened as the boy and another person attacked someone with metal sticks.
Officers told them to drop their weapons, but the teen instead moved menacingly toward the victim, Salt Lake City police Detective Greg Wilking said.
The teen who was shot is African American and believed to be from Kenya, interim police Chief Mike Brown said.
Police were withholding footage from body cameras worn by the officers, citing the ongoing investigation and the possibility that the teenager could face charges.
The shooting ignited unrest Saturday in the city's bustling downtown. Officers donned riot gear and blocked streets while bystanders threw rocks and bottles. Police barricaded four city blocks around the shooting scene, and a light rail stop in the neighborhood was closed.
Employees at a business close to the memorial said stabbings, beatings, drug deals and overdoses are frequent occurrences on the street less than a mile from the arena where the NBA's Utah Jazz play and several hundred feet from an outdoor mall.
"The amount of mental instability and drug use right here: It's a powder keg," said Megan Barry, who works at Oasis Stage Werks, which rents stage and theater equipment.
Police said people sometimes use crowds in the area as cover for crimes.
"We as a police department have probably spent more time down there than anyplace else in this city," Brown said. His eyes filled with tears as he described sitting with the teen's mother in the hospital.
Bystander Selam Mohammad told The Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret News that he was a friend of the teenager who was shot as he turned to face police.
"He barely even turned around, then boom, boom, boom — and he just dropped," Mohammad told the Deseret News, saying he was at the scene.
Police said they could not confirm or deny that account.
In a statement Monday, Salt Lake Police Association president Michael Millard said: "The two officers in this case are good officers. . . . This case is not about race, they acted in defense of an innocent party."
State law allows the use of deadly force when officers think they'll be badly hurt or killed, though new training standards tell officers to back off and take cover so they won't need to shoot, Brown said.
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill, whose agency will review the shooting, said he had no evidence that race was an issue in shooting. But he acknowledged that you can't ignore the "stark reality" that there are a disparate level of poor people and minorities who find themselves in the criminal justice system.
A group called Utah Against Police Brutality is expecting several hundred people at a protest and March Monday night, said Carly Haldeman, a member of the group.
Haldeman said police should have deescalated the situation without resorting to gunshots.
The white man has declared this case has nothing to do race.. So that right there should tell you that the opposite is true... -
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Officers told them to drop their weapons, but the teen instead moved menacingly toward the victim, Salt Lake City police Detective Greg Wilking said.
^^^what a ? Lie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRCkJX5XlOM