It is hard to ignore the racial tensions that rapidly increases every time another innocent Black is “feared” by the police and killed. This predatory existence to kill or be killed has been wreaking havoc on the minds of police officers who are patrolling Blacks as if they are wild animals instead of people with families and lives that matter. An 11-year St. Louis Police veteran is the latest victim of the imaginary fear that is used to cover up racial discrimination and profiling perpetuated on Black men.
The off-duty St. Louis police officer is recovering from a gunshot to the shoulder after attempting to help his fellow officers apprehend several suspects in his area on June 21. The shoot-out began when 3 suspects led the police on a car chase and began shooting at the officers. The officers fired back causing the car to crash near the off-duty officer’s home. The off-duty officer heard the commotion and grabbed his service weapon to head outside and assist his colleagues.
Once outside the officers arriving on the scene immediately saw a Black man with his weapon drawn and asked him to drop it and get on the ground. But they then recognized the officer and asked them to come towards them. A different officer, a 36-year old white officer with more than eight years of service, arrived at the scene later, and saw the Black off-duty officer walking towards the other officers and immediately fired his weapon, hitting the officer in the arm. According to published reports, the white officer “feared for his life” when he saw the off-duty officer approaching the other officers. Even though he was following their orders.
Last night in St Louis, a black off duty cop was shot by police while trying to help at the scene of a car accident https://t.co/n8GrMiCAHf
— agitator in chief (@soit_goes) June 23, 2017
Rufus J. Tate Jr., a lawyer for the Black Officers Union, told a local news station that the police report does not reveal what the officer who shot the victim saw that was threatening enough to fire his weapon. “So we have a real problem with that. But this has been a national discussion for the past two years. There is this perception that a black man is automatically feared,” said Tate.
If the off-duty officer was presenting himself in a threatening manner, why didn’t the other officers on the scene shot him first? And to add insult to injury, the St. Louis Police are describing this shooting as “friendly fire.” As if to laugh in the faces of African Americans who are plagued with the daily reminder that their lives are hanging by a thin thread while the men in blue hold the scissors.
