There is another controversy involving a police shooting. Jermane Reid was shot and killed after the Jaguar in which he was riding was pulled over for running a stop sign by Bridgeton officers Braheme Days and Roger Worley in a Dec. 30 traffic stop. When one officer reported seeing a handgun in the glove compartment, things got tense and ultimately led to the fatal shooting of the unarmed Reid. [Warning: the video and text includes foul language]
Driver, Leroy Tutt, is seen showing his hands throughout the encounter.
The officers are heard screaming over and over “Don’t you fucking move!” and “Show me your hands!” at the driver and passenger. Days repeatedly warns Reid not to move, screaming “I’m going to shoot you . . . You’re going to be … dead. If you reach for something, you’re going to be … dead.” However, Reid is heard saying “I ain’t got no reason to reach for nothing, bro, I ain’t got no reason to reach for nothing.” He then says, “I’m getting out and getting on the ground.” Days tells him not to move, but decides to step out of the Jaguar with his hands raised to shoulder height. He is then shot.
Clearly he should have obeyed the officer but his hands appear to be in clear view and Reid made clear that he was going to get out. Both officers appear to have fired at least six times. It is not clear if it was Reid or Days who opened the door. Under Tennessee v. Garner, there would be no justification for the use of lethal force in such a circumstance.
Reid, 36, had a record, including 13 years in prison for shooting at New Jersey State Police troopers when he was a teenager. He was also arrested last year on charges including drug possession and obstruction. Notably, Days was one of the arresting officers in the later arrests. That record however does not factor into the shooting if his hands were visible and there was no threatening behavior. Disobeying an order to remain in the car is obviously not sufficient cause for the use of lethal force under the controlling standard.
Olly, Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.
TJustice,
So you will not kill another human being to defend your own life?
“Man has no right to kill his brother. It is no excuse that he does so in uniform: he only adds the infamy of servitude to the crime of murder.” (Shelley)
Really not that difficult of a to understand.
“No one besides me has yet has acknowledged the cop was cordial, calm and respectful until a gun came into play.”
Nick,
Um, at least one other person has:
“The right-side officer appeared rather calm until he was next to the door and then it seemed to escalate once he discovered a gun in the glove compartment.” comment at 12:22
No one besides me has yet has acknowledged the cop was cordial, calm and respectful until a gun came into play. NO ONE can see what that cop saw going on inside of the car. I pray for this cop. I’m sure he is going through hell right now. I also pray for the parents of the cop killer. No parent should have to bury a child.
dryack has made some excellent points.
>”Are we holding police to the appropriate standards in order for us to be [a] free nation?”
In the face of so many other cases of excessive force we have seen on this blog and in the news, and, the issue of police departments receiving military equipment, the answer is no. Should there be a ban on police departments receiving certain kinds of (or all) military equipment? Does the Department of Homeland Security influence the training of police officers?
>”If the police are ill equipped in some way to meet the standards we desire, do we continue to simply change the standard to meet their behavior; do we increase training?”
Governments (and people) too often want to change the bar rather than behavior. I think of the school districts that lowered the bar to meet the demands of NCLB so it appeared as if they had improved more than they had.
Or, are police officers being trained inappropriately rather than insufficiently?
Perhaps Darren can speak to police training and whether or not it has changed in recent years.
Are we just more aware of these things because of dashcams and the internet or are there really more problems? If crime has, overall, gone down, how can these situations be reconciled?
“At least since the officer was African American, we won’t have the usual suspects declaring that it was “definitely” racist.”
Actually Karen, it has already been implied; by a legal professional. Go figure.
Olly – there is a certain amount of racism within the black community based on the color of your skin. It can get pretty nasty.
My internet is slow today, so I couldn’t finish the video.
Things got really tense when the officer spotted the gun in the glove compartment, and I kept hearing him say, “He’s reaching! He’s reaching!”
I’m glad their is video, but I couldn’t see what was going on inside the vehicle.
This needs to be investigated, obviously. I am at a loss as to why he refused to listen to the police officer, who was obviously thrumming with adrenaline when he saw the gun.
The officer knew there was a gun in the car, and could not know if anyone was armed on their person until he was able to frisk them.
We need to find out everything that happened. No, you shouldn’t be shot for noncompliance if you were not acting in a threatening manner. On the other hand, failing to respond to the officer’s orders, and approaching an officer who has his weapon drawn on you makes zero sense. We need an investigation.
Nick – something similar happened to my own husband. He pulled into the parking lot of a synagogue to look up directions to a job site. He was in his work vehicle. All of a sudden, a police officer pulled up, drew his sidearm, and was hollering at him to show his hands and provide ID. Clearly they were looking for someone. My husband very meekly and politely obeyed every command, verified his identity as not the person in question, the situation deflated, and everyone went on their merry way.
Darren – I agree that it is possible that the officer knew the suspect’s past history of shooting at police, and that might have helped escalate things. I also agree that we need to wait for a full investigation.
At least since the officer was African American, we won’t have the usual suspects declaring that it was “definitely” racist. We need to find out if this was justified, or not, and if not, what happens next.
On a personal note, I was on a ride-along when I was in my 20s when we and another vehicle responded to a break in. The cops assumed the perps were long gone, and that was what they told me. I got bored and exited the car (as I was not supposed to), and was standing around outside the fence to the commercial building. All of a sudden, the two perps ran outside, and straight towards me. I was really scared. I had no idea if they were armed or not, or what they were going to do. Luckily, they ran right by me, and I belatedly got back in the car. When the cops walked out, not having seen them, I told them which way they’d gone, and they were found. Then I very meekly listened to a review on ride-along protocol.
So, I understand in some small degree, the surge of adrenaline and threat that you feel when a suspect approaches you and won’t stop. Which is why my father always taught us kids the proper protocol when you are pulled over is to obey each and every single command a police officer gives, if at all possible.
Olly,
I suggesting that with the evidence provided, they broke the law and procedure. You call it an excessive use of force, but the officers will get a chance to defend themselves, if they are indeed brought to trial, but the victim has already been tried and convicted and executed by the officers using “excessive force.”
I have never suggested that the officers are not presumed innocent. I am voicing my opinion, as you are, based on the facts we have available that they should be tried for their alleged crimes. I wish there was more concern for the rights of Mr. Reid.. Aren’t traffic stop defendants entitled to a presumption of innocence before they are killed at the hands of officers?
“The cops broke procedure and the law and someone was shot seven times.”
Rafflaw,
Do you know for a fact that the “cops broke procedure and the law”? If so, please provide the evidence to prove this. It would “appear” to be an excessive use of force but I don’t believe enough has been provided to skip trial and go straight to prison. What is this officer’s record like? Has he ever made a traffic stop without shooting anyone? If so, then why not with this particular stop? Unless I’m mistaken, even police officers are innocent until proven guilty, correct?
Some extra information
Ben Mosely, a retired sheriff’s deputy, told WPVI-TV he watched the incident from his bedroom window.
He said Reid had gotten out of his car but then tried to get back into the vehicle when officers opened fire, but – based on his own police training — he does not believe the shooting was justified.
“I saw a disarmed man go down to the ground and get shot,” Mosley said. “That’s exactly what I saw.”
All the witnesses agreed that things escalated very quickly.
After Reid’s name was revealed, several media outlets conveniently cited Reid’s past as if any of that matters.
Reid’s wife admits her husband had a criminal record, but she said he walked out of jail a free man and didn’t deserve to die.
“I’m hurt, I’m disgusted,” said Lawanda Reid, the mother of Reid’s 3-month-old son. “My biggest fear has come true. I lost my best friend, my soul mate.
The man that promised to love me indefinitely and beyond is gone.”
Reid served 15 years in prison for his conviction on attempted murder and aggravated assault.
There is no solid expectation that if one simply calls a cop “sir” it will keep them safe. If a citizen objects, even politely it can get them tased, or even killed if the cop is unsuited for the job, which we are seeing more and more often.
This video exemplifies the US rule-of-law perfectly.
Nick,
You can call him any incorrect and insensitive name you would like, but I prefer to call him by his name. Mr. Jermane Reid, who was the victim of cops who broke the law and shot an unarmed man. Have a nice day.
Olly,
I am just stating the facts as provided. The man had his hands up and was shot seven times. The cops are entitled to the presumption of innocence, but I guess a black man with his hands up is not.
Nick,
I wasn’t referring to your label of cop shooter. But, I guess using that logic the cops should be referred to as unarmed man with his hands up shooter. It is so nice that you want to use my first name instead of clown now, while you are explaining why you can call other people’s QUESTIONS stupid and vapid. How stupid is it to suggest that a man was killed for not obeying the orders of a cop(s) who shot him 7 times while his hands were up? Or is it just tedious? You can call anyone any name you want if JT allows it, but we all have the right to call you out for it, don’t we?
I will also call him the “dead cop shooter” as well.
I prefer to call him the cop shooter. But, thanks barrister. I know liberals LOVE to try and control peoples speech. You picked the wrong person, counselor. You call him anything you wish, I would never be so controlling or presumptuous to tell you what to call the guy. I’ll continue calling him the cop shooter. To each heir own, Larry, to each their own.
If a person asks stupid and vapid questions I will call the QUESTIONS stupid and vapid. Do I need to diagram sentences for you for @ least the 10th time, Larry? It’s tedious.
rafflaw,
The irony is that you are demonstrating the very same quality of justice towards the officer as you are accusing the officer of doing with the victim. I wonder if the Santa Rosa attorney would be as self-righteous as yourself.
Nick,
I am merely providing you a mirror to see your own actions and words. I have not called you any names , but you seem to feel the need to call me a clown and suggest I am a clown in two separate comments. Not to mention referring to unnamed commenters questions as stupid and vapid.
As a gentle reminder, the person who died is dead because someone with a gun shot him. That very same dead person, has a name and it is Jermane Reid. The cops broke procedure and the law and someone was shot seven times.
Oh sorry wrong thread, I meant to post this in the Florida Judge domestic abuse thread.