MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Another senseless and deadly shooting of a black man by police is making the cries for reform even louder. Some who have watched the videos in the killing of Rayshard Brooks by police in Atlanta, say this case is not as clear cut. But I beg to differ. There was no need to fatally shoot Brooks in the back as he was running away – despite the scuffle, and the fact that he had taken an officer’s taser.
The incident is somewhat similar to a landmark case here in Memphis from 1974. Police encountered 15-year-old Edward Garner, who was unarmed, after he apparently burglarized a home on Vollintine. When the officer ordered Garner to halt, Garner tried to jump over a fence – and the officer shot and killed him. Garner’s father sued – and the case went all the way to the Supreme Court. The court ruled that police can only shoot fleeing suspects if the officer or someone else’s lives are in danger. Justice Byron White said it best. Police may not seize an unarmed, non-danger suspect by shooting him dead.
Memphis police are now forbidden from shooting fleeing suspects or engaging in dangerous high-speed chases. So, it seems clear – the Atlanta officer should not have used deadly force on a man whose initial offense was falling asleep in a Wendy’s drive-through.
It’s one more reason why police reform must happen – now. And that’s my point of view.