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Board of Directors
Board of Directors
THE AFRICAN AMERICAN POLICY FORUM
#SAYHERNAME IN MEMORIAM
Priscilla died after allegedly being found unresponsive in her holding cell. The day before, Priscilla had been arrested in connection with a shooting incident. Two supervisors and four civilian aids of the police department have since been placed on administrative leave. Michigan State Police have launched an investigation into Priscilla’s death.
Acting pursuant to a “no-knock” warrant, three plainclothes police officers forced their way into Breonna’s apartment early in the morning and fired over 20 rounds, shooting her at least eight times and killing her. The intended suspect of the warrant, sought in connection with a drug investigation, had in fact been apprehended earlier that morning. No drugs were found at the apartment and Breonna was unarmed. The police initially attempted depict Breonna as a “suspect.” Louisville has since passed “Breonna’s Law,” which bans no-knock warrants, and Congress has introduced legislation to prohibit such warrants at the federal level. But three months after Breonna’s shooting death, no charges have been brought against the officers involved, as Beyoncé highlighted in her June 14 letter to the Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, urging him to act.
Atatiana Koquice Jefferson, 28
October 12, 2019
Fort Worth, TX
Atatiana was shot and killed by Aaron Dean, a White police officer, in her home early in the morning. She had been watching her 8-year-old nephew, when she heard noises outside, reportedly retrieved her handgun, and headed toward the window to inspect. Dean had been responding to a “welfare call,” placed by Atatiana’s neighbor to a non-emergency telephone number. Dean has since retired and been indicted for murder.
Officers shot Ragland, who had a fake gun and yelled at officers to shoot her. Ragland was shot when she was retrieving for the fake gun in her pocket. Ragland may have been suffering from a mental illness at the time. The officers who shot Ragland were cleared of wrongdoing.
Turner, who suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, was shot and killed by police during the course of an arrest. The officer alleged that he spotted Turner and sought to arrest her because he recognized her and knew she had an outstanding warrant for criminal mischief. The officer lived in the same apartment complex as Turner. Turner told the officer she was just walking to her apartment and he was harassing her. Shortly afterward, the officer fired his taser at Turner. While Turner was on the ground, the officer backed away and then shot Turner five times. Police allege that, while the officer was attempting to handcuff Turner, she grabbed hold of his taser and fired it in his direction, grazing him. The Baytown Police Department indicated they knew that Turner suffered from mental illness.
Walton, a mother of two, was shot by a Florida Highway Patrol trooper. FHP officials alleged that Walton was driving erratically and that she drove toward the direction of an FHP officer who had stopped her. That officer, Ronald Melendez-Bonilla fired multiple shots and killed Walton. A video of the encounter shows Walton attempting to flee but does not clearly show her driving towards the FHP trooper. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the incident and Walton’s family and lawyer have called for a DOJ civil rights investigation and have called on law enforcement to release dashcam footage and other evidence.
Brittany died while in custody at the Dorchester County Detention Center. She was transported to Trident Medical Center and was pronounced dead.
Angel Decarlo was shot and killed by a Hopewell police officer after Decarlo pointed a gun at the officer. Some reports suggest that Decarlo suffered from schizophrenia.
April Webster was shot and killed by police who came to her home after Elizabeth Gainey, Webster’s wife, called police to report that Webster was threatening to harm themselves. Police told Gainey that they would use non-lethal methods to calm the situation. Webster suffered from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Officers near a car Simpson was in at a gas station smelled marijuana and called in a suspicious vehicle. Officers asked Simpson for identification and during the incident Simpson fired shots that struck an officer. Officers shot and killed Simpson.
Phillips was unarmed when she was shot and killed by San Bernardino County Sheriff's deputies. Deputies were responding to reports of a fight at a used car dealership and claim that Phillips was uncooperative and attempted to drive her vehicle towards deputies when she was shot and killed. Family members and an attorney they retained strongly dispute that Phillips attempted to drive towards the deputies or that she posed any threat to the deputies.
Officers responded to a report that Blackwell had murdered her neighbor. When officers arrived at her apartment complex, Blackwell was holding a gun and a knife. Police ordered her to put down the weapons and tasered her before shooting her.
Cynthia
Fields, 60
July 27, 2018
Savannah, GA
Cynthia Fields was shot and killed by Savannah Police. Fields was hit by a stray bullet during a shootout between Savannah police and a suspect from a shooting that occurred earlier in the day. The shootout occurred on Fields’ porch. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating the incident, but not much new information has been publicly released.
Anderson, a mother of three, was shot two times by Deptford Police Sergeant Kevin Clements. Police say Anderson was shot after she refused a command to stop and attempted to run over two officers with her car. Other witnesses to the incident stated that Anderson was driving away from the officers when she was shot and killed. Police allege Anderson and two others were shoplifting from Marshall’s and that this led to the fatal interaction.
Shukri Ali
Said, 36
April 28, 2018
John Creeks, GA
Police shot and killed Shukri, after responding to a report of a woman with a knife. Shukri’s sister had made the call to 911 after Shukri, who had bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, had grabbed a knife and exited the family house. Shukri’s sister had stressed to the 911 operator that her sister was mentally ill. Shukri wore a hijab and had heard voices that morning, according to her family.
DeCynthia Clements, 34
March 12, 2018
Elgin, IL
Clements was shot and killed by Lt. Chris Jensen, a supervising officer. Officers had spent over an hour attempting to persuade Clements to come out of her SUV. Clements eventually set her SUV on fire and came out holding a knife. At that point, Jensen shot and killed Clements rather than waiting for another officer to use a taser, even though Jensen had instructed an officer to draw his taser in case it needed to be used. The Cook County State Attorney announced that Jensen would not be prosecuted, and the city of Elgin hired a consulting firm to determine if Jensen violated department protocol. The report found that Jensen followed the department’s policy on the use of deadly force, but did not follow proper procedure when no medical assistance was given to Clements after the shooting. Jensen was reinstated.
Barnes, the mother of two young children and an honors student at Jackson State University, was shot three times by police during a traffic stop. Police allege that Barnes began driving away when the officer who stopped her called for backup and that Barnes then began driving backward toward an officer who was outside of his car. Barnes’ family filed a $10 million lawsuit against Jackson Police Department in federal court and allege that the autopsy results and the police report contradict each other and leave out crucial details. Barnes was shot in the back of the head, back of the neck, and the back.
Geraldine Townsend, 72
January 17, 2018
Tulsa, OK
Townsend was shot and killed by Bartlesville, Oklahoma police officers who were at her home to serve an illegal drug sales warrant for her son. According to the officers at the scene, Townsend came out of a bedroom and fired a BB gun at the officers, hitting two of them with BB pellets.
Sandy
Guardiola, 48
October 4, 2017
Canandaigua, NY
Guardiola was a parole officer who was shot dead while in her bed by an officer who came to her house to perform a welfare check. In a civil rights lawsuit filed by Guardiola’s family, they allege that there was a ten-minute gap between the shooting and when EMTs were called to provide aid to Guardiola, who was still alive at the time. They also allege that Guardiola could not have pointed her service weapon at the sergeant who shot her (as police allege she did), but rather that she was first shot while retrieving her handgun from under her pillow.
Nelson was a nuclear technician for the Navy and was involved in a car crash with her husband, who was in a separate car. Nelson non-fatally shot and wounded him. Police, who had been questioning Nelson when she shot her husband, shot and killed her. The internal review stated that the officers were justified and the department refused to release bodycam footage of the incident.
Charleena called the police to report an attempted burglary at her home. She was shot and killed by officers responding to her call. The officers claimed that upon their arrival to her apartment, Charleena lunged at them with a knife. She was three months pregnant with her fourth child when she was killed. Charleena supposedly had a longstanding history of mental health problems. A King County judge since dismissed civil charges against the two officers involved. In late 2019, more than two years after Charleena’s shooting, a pre-inquest hearing was held to discuss various legal issues to be addressed in the inquest proceedings. The inquest will determine whether the officers complied with department police and their training when Charleena was fatally shot.
Block was sitting on a park bench and was threatening herself with a gun she was holding. Officers attempted to negotiate with Block, but when she began walking, an officer opened fire on Block and killed her. Block was suspected of committing homicide earlier in the day.
Alteria Woods, who was pregnant when she was shot and killed by Indian River County sheriff deputies, was an innocent bystander to a shootout between law enforcement and her boyfriend and his father. Police allege that Woods’ boyfriend was using her as a human shield when she was shot and killed. Woods was shot ten times, including in the head and chest. No charges were brought against the three deputies, all members of a SWAT team, who shot Woods. Woods’ boyfriend Andrew Coffee IV was charged with her death.
Rankins was shot and killed by Austin Police Officer Benjamin Rogers after a car chase in which she is alleged to have attempted to hit Rogers with her car. Rogers shot Rankins three times after she emerged from the car holding a knife, but a transcript from after the shooting indicated that Rogers had already pulled his gun before ever seeing Rankins come out of the car with a knife. Rankins suffered from mental illness and had recently graduated summa cum laude from Huston-Tillotson University.
Deborah was fatally shot by NYPD in her home in the Bronx. According to the police, she was armed with first a pair of scissors and then a baseball bat, but according to the EMT, she had put down the scissors and never picked up a baseball bat. A neighbor called 911 and reported that Deborah was erratic (police had been called to her apartment before). Deborah had schizophrenia. Her shooting was said to recall the death of Eleanor Bumpers.
On the morning of Aug. 1, officers with the Baltimore County Police Department arrived at the Randallstown apartment of Korryn Gaines to serve bench warrants on her and her fiance, Kareem Courtney. Earlier, Korryn had been stopped for a traffic violation and was later charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and littering. She took to social media stating that officers threatened her with violence and kept her in isolation. Korryn did not appear later in court, in accordance with the violation. After a standoff that lasted about six hours, Gaines was dead from police gunfire. Her five-year-old son was also shot but fortunately survived.
Sgt. Justin Erb, 45, was identified as the officer who fired a single shot May 19 that killed 29-year-old Jessica Williams. Police officials said Erb and another officer, who has not been identified, suspected Williams of driving a stolen car. Police have said little about what led to the shooting. Before his resignation, Suhr said Williams had driven off as Erb and the officer tried to question her but that she crashed into a utility truck a short distance away. At some point, Erb fired into the vehicle, killing her. Police said at the time that no weapon had been found on Williams but that they still planned to search the car. They have not said what the results of that search were.
Deresha was shot and killed by Acting Sgt. Vernon Brown. Deputies say that Deresha was a suspect in a robbery, and that upon fleeing she and another man exchanged gunfire with another homeowner. They also claim Deresha had a handgun.
Laronda was fatally shot twice in the chest by Gallatin Police Officer James Spray. According to investigators, members of the city housing authority and county Deputy Gary Pickard had gone to Laronda’s home to serve her with an eviction notice, when she allegedly became combative and injured Pickard in the abdomen with an ax. Laronda’s daughter said her mother was loving. She said that in addition to being medicated for bipolar disorder, her mother was unemployed and lived on disability payments.
While the investigators were waiting for a suspected drug dealer to arrive in the parking lot, they saw two men engaged in a verbal argument. While they were arguing, Beaty exited a nearby car and approached one of the men while holding a gun. The argument continued until police intervened, ordering Beaty to the ground. She did not comply, instead turning toward the approaching officers and pointing the gun in their direction. Shots were fired at approximately 1:18 a.m. Officers attempted to render first aid to Beaty but she was declared dead by paramedics at 1:29 a.m. Investigators later discovered the gun she was holding was a replica.
California police officers shot and killed 31-year-old Kisha Michael and her friend Marquintan Sandlin, 32, after initially finding them unconscious and sitting in a stopped car on Manchester Boulevard. Michael was shot 13 times and pronounced dead at the scene, while Sandlin, the driver, was shot eight times and pronounced dead a short time later at a nearby hospital. An autopsy recovered projectiles from at least two and as many as three different types of firearms–a shotgun, handgun and possibly a rifle–from Michael’s body. Grimes says witnesses reported that police fired as many as 100 shots at the pair in the car.
Sahlah Ridgeway, 32, was shot by an officer in front of Kimton Place Apartments around 8:30 p.m. Fowler said Ridgeway was armed with a sawed-off shotgun when she was confronted by police. When she refused to drop the weapon, an officer shot her, Fowler said. Her mother has said she believed her daughter had bipolar disorder.
Gynnya McMillen was staying at her mother’s apartment complex when the two started to argue. Around 1:30 a.m., Michelle called 911 to complain that her daughter had gotten physical and hit her. Police officers soon arrived at the apartment, arrested Gynnya for a domestic-violence related offense, and took her to Lincoln Village Juvenile Treatment and Detention Center, a troubled state-run facility 70 miles away. Approximately 28 hours later, Gynnya was found dead in the cell where she’d been detained. Medical examiners later determined that Gynnya had a previously undiagnosed heart condition and died of a cardiac arrhythmia.
Bettie Jones, 55, as well as 19-year-old neighbor Quintonio LeGrier, were fatally shot by Officer Robert Rialmo during a domestic disturbance call a day after Christmas. Bettie was standing in a doorway behind Quintonio and was shot once in the chest at point-blank range. Rialmo had fired eight shots. Nearly four years after Bettie and Quintonio’s shooting, the Police Board finally fired Rialmo.
Barbara Dawson went to Calhoun Liberty Hospital in Blountstown, Florida, to seek treatment for breathing problems. Police were called to the emergency room when Dawson, who had been discharged by physicians, refused to leave. She was charged with disorderly conduct and trespassing and was escorted out of the hospital in handcuffs. Dawson then collapsed as she arrived at the officer’s car. Dawson was readmitted to the emergency room, where she was pronounced dead an hour later. The Florida state medical examiner ruled on Wednesday that she died from natural causes due to a blood clot in her lung. The blood clot was due to Dawson being excessively overweight, officials said.
Marquesha was shot by police in a parking lot outside a liquor store early in the morning. Police claimed that Marquesha fired at them first, after they responded to an alleged armed robbery at a liquor store involving her and another man. Her family disputed that the five-foot Marquesha would rob the store or shoot at police. On October 31, 2016, the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office completed its investigation of the five police officers involved and concluded that there was “insufficient evidence” to pursue federal civil rights charges or D.C. charges against them.
The incident began Sept. 5, 2015, when four SWAT officers tried to arrest Angelo Perry, who was in Kager’s car and was a suspect in four violent crimes that summer. He fired at police first, and the officers returned about 30 shots, killing both her and Perry. Their 4-month-old child was unharmed in the backseat. A jury decided Monday that two Virginia Beach police officers acted with gross negligence when they shot and killed India Kager.
Police say Jones refused to put down a large knife despite orders from officers and instead moved closer to them, which prompted the shooting. According to the investigation, police say Jones fit the description of a robbery suspect at a nearby pharmacy. After a chase into a Baldwin Hills alley, police say Jones moved closer to Ramirez, refusing to drop the knife after being asked to do so.
Raynetta was found dead in a Mount Vernon jail cell two days after she was taken into custody on charges of shoplifting. She was arrested for allegedly stealing from a wholesale food store. Shortly after her arrest, she told authorities that she was suffering from multiple medical problems, including hypertension and issues following bariatric surgery. She was taken to an area hospital and released to authorities the following day. When officers went to retrieve her for a court appearance the next day, she was found unresponsive in her cell.
Ralkina allegedly went to a Save-a-Lot and started smashing her ex-husband’s car with a tire iron. According to the police, she allegedly turned on her ex and struck him on the arm, got into her vehicle, and drove away with her twelve-year-old daughter in the back. She was arrested on charges of assault, domestic violence, endangering a child and criminal mischief and taken to jail. After being booked, Ralkina was reportedly treated for several medical conditions. She had been given a prescription medication at the jail, but on Saturday evening it was reportedly noted that Ralkina appeared to be lethargic so she was taken to a hospital. She was returned to prison the same day around 10:40 pm. At 12:45 am, paramedics checked her vitals and reported everything as normal. Around 7:30 am on Sunday, she was found unresponsive in her cell bed.
Joyce died of complications from gastroenteritis, mainly dehydration, at the Charleston County Detention Center in South Carolina after allegedly being held for 27 hours without adequate medical treatment. Curnell was suffering from nausea and vomiting when she arrived at Roper St. Francis Hospital. Curnell needed treatment for alcohol abuse and due to limited treatment availability, she was remanded to police custody. Shortly before 5:00 p.m. on the day after she was taken into custody, she was found “unresponsive in her bed,” according to the sheriff's office.
Officials with the Homewood City Jail said Kindra Darnell Chapman was processed on Tuesday, July 14, at 6:22 p.m., following an arrest for first-degree robbery. Police say Chapman, 18, stole a cell phone from another individual on the street. Chapman was last seen alive at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, when staff conducted an initial welfare check. At 7:50 p.m., jailers returned to find Chapman unresponsive. Authorities say she hanged herself. She was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Sandra Bland was found hanged in a jail cell in Waller County, Texas, on July 13, 2015, three days after being arrested during a traffic stop. Her death was ruled a suicide. Sandra had recently returned to the area to begin a new job. Cell phone footage that Sandra had captured of the traffic stop would not be publicly released until years later.
Stranded on the New Jersey Turnpike past midnight after their SUV broke down, a Brooklyn man and Queens woman walking in the roadway were struck and killed by a police cruiser Wednesday, state troopers said. Officer Arsenio Pecora of Bergen County's Washington Township Police Department was driving north on the turnpike's eastern spur when he plowed into Jason Champion and Nuwnah LaRoche just after 1 a.m., officials said.
Sheneque
Proctor, 18
November 1, 2014
Bessemer, AL
Eighteen-year-old Sheneque Proctor was arrested for disorderly conduct, and was taken to the Bessemer City Jail. When Proctor—who suffered from asthma—called her mother from the jail she indicated that the police had treated her roughly. She had informed the police that she was ill, but they had ignored her requests for medical attention. She was found dead in her cell the next morning. Her cell was videotaped during this entire period, but the police department has refused to release the footage to her family. The family’s lawyer, Hank Sherrod, told The Guardian that “this young woman was denied medical treatment while being recorded on videotape right before police eyes. The fact that they won’t hand the film over makes us wonder what they have to hide.” Proctor was the mother of an infant boy.
Iretha had been jailed Monday morning for testing positive for multiple drugs during sentencing for a shoplifting charge. She had become upset at the judge saying she was a flight risk, and three deputies reportedly subdued her using a Taser. She was reportedly taken to the jail and booked in, but she did not have a mug shot taken because she was “uncooperative” with deputies. She allegedly complained of chest pains while in a cell by herself at about 6pm and medical staff performed an EKG on her. She was said to have been monitored every 15 minutes until she was found unresponsive just after 7pm. She was then taken by ambulance to the Providence Health Center where she was pronounced dead.
Latandra was incarcerated at Lowell Correctional Institution. Ten days after writing a letter to her aunt detailing how a Lowell corrections officer had repeatedly threatened to beat and kill her, Latandra was found dead. She had seen the officer having sex with an inmate and when she vowed to report it, she was threatened by the officer. The medical examiner found no evidence of trauma indicative of a beating, but the toxicology tests showed that Latandra had a potentially toxic level of blood pressure medication in her system. Latandra’s cell was never processed as a crime scene.
Yvette
Smith, 47
February 16, 2014
Anderson, TX
Yvette Smith, a 47-year-old mother of two, called 911 from a friend’s home in Anderson, TX about half an hour after midnight on February 16, 2014, reporting an altercation between two men in the house. When Bastrop County police arrived, at least one of the men was in the front yard and the conflict had seemingly settled down. Responding officer Daniel Willis ordered Smith to come outside. As she opened the door Willis shouted “police!” and fired within seconds. Smith died in the hospital after being shot twice, once in the head and once in the stomach. Initial claims by police that Smith had been carrying a gun were quickly retracted. Daniel Willis was indicted for murder but a mistrial was declared when the jury deadlocked 8-4 in favor of guilty. In a subsequent bench trial, a judge acquitted Willis. In 2015, Bastrop County settled a civil lawsuit brought by Smith’s family for a reported $1.2 million. Previously, Willis had been rejected for jobs by other law enforcement agencies, once for failing a psychological exam.
Police were called to the apartment Michelle Cusseaux was renting after she allegedly threatened to kill mental health workers. When confronted by officers Cusseaux reportedly grabbed a hammer and raised it above her head. Sergeant Dupra then opened fire killing Cusseaux. A disciplinary board recommended demotion for the Phoenix police officer.
Tracy Wade died after she was shot by police officers during a SWAT situation Wednesday night. The task force engaged a female suspect inside the home and she indicated she had a weapon and a small child. At that point, the task force disengaged and pulled out and asked for LMPD's help with their SWAT team. Around 11 o'clock Wednesday night, Wade agreed to come out of the house, police say. When the SWAT team went to meet her, they say she pointed a gun at officers. That's when authorities say she was shot by police.
Two officers with the Ann Arbor Police Department have been placed on paid administrative leave after they shot 40-year-old Aura Rosser to death while responding to a domestic violence incident. Officers claim that Rosser was coming at them with a knife so they were forced to use deadly force. Family of the victim, however, don’t believe that’s possible. Rosser, who allegedly moved to Ann Arbor to be closer to rehab facilities, was living with boyfriend Victor Stephens, 54. Stephens admits they were fighting and that he called police to remove her from the home, but he also says that lethal force was not justified.
A Hayward police officer shot and killed an armed 62-year-old woman after she made repeated calls to police to express anger about a recent interaction she had with officers, officials said Wednesday. On Tuesday, after officers went into the woman's apartment, they saw she had a handgun and retreated outside when she walked toward them, Melendez said. Fearing for his life and the other officer's life, one of the officers opened fire, Melendez said. Levy was taken to Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley, where she died.
Angela Beatrice Randolph was shot by a Maryland Transit Administration police officer, after he tried to calm the woman down, only to be punched in the face and wrestled to her knees. The officer repeatedly warned the woman to back away - then finally shot her. Days after Angela Beatrice Randolph, 38, died from wounds suffered in the confrontation, people who knew her said she was homeless and may have been mentally ill. It was the second violent death of a homeless person in Glen Burnie in less than a month.
The shooting occurred early Monday morning at the entrance to a mobile home park in Inverness. The deputy was responding to a disturbance call from someone reporting that 46-year-old Dawn Renee Cameron was trying to light her neighbor's truck on fire. According to an incident report, the deputy shot Cameron after she pointed his stun gun at him. She was treated at the scene, then taken to a hospital where she died.
Boyceville police say Mikelson died after she displayed a rifle and a replica handgun to an un-uniformed officer, who was responding to a domestic disturbance call. The officer fired his gun and struck Mikelson in the chest. The officer wasn't injured and is currently on standard administrative leave.
NYPD officers left Kyam Livingston in a holding cell after they arrested her for fighting with her grandmother. While in custody, Livingston complained of cramps and diarrhea, but officers ignored her pleas for help, and those of people held in the cell with her, for hours. After Livingston spent 20 hours in the cell, police finally called for medical assistance when they claimed to notice that she was suffering from “apparent seizures.” She was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. A medical examiner found that the cause of death was an alcohol-induced seizure. She was 37-years-old and a mother of two. In 2013, Livingston’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Brooklyn Federal Court.
Renisha
McBride, 19
November 2, 2013
Detroit, MI
On November 2, 2013, McBride crashed her car at Bramell and Majestic on the west side of Detroit. Police initially considered the incident a low priority, so no officers were immediately dispatched. Forty minutes later, another call was placed indicating that the driver had returned. EMS arrived on the scene, but McBride had again walked away from the scene and was not treated. The owner of the parked car, who encountered McBride and called 911, told police that McBride was "discombobulated" and appeared to be in a "confused state of not knowing where she was and not being able to give a phone number or anything."Shortly before 4:42 am, McBride was shot by homeowner Theodore Paul Wafer, 54, on the porch of his Dearborn Heights home, more than three hours after she crashed her car about a mile away. Her family, however, states that she was looking for help after becoming disoriented by the crash, in which she may have sustained a head injury. Wafer initially stated to police that he thought his home was being broken into and that he had accidentally fired his 12-gauge shotgun.
On October 3, 2013, in Washington, D.C., Miriam Carey, 34, a dental hygienist from Stamford, Connecticut, attempted to drive through a White House security checkpoint in her black Infiniti G37 coupe, struck a U.S. Secret Service officer, and was chased by the Secret Service to the United States Capitol where she was fatally shot by law enforcement officers. A young child, Carey's daughter, was found unharmed in the car after it was ultimately stopped.
Angelique Styles was shot and killed by police after officers responded to a domestic-related call. When officers entered the scene the woman was in a domestic dispute with a relative and was “belligerent and acting totally violent” with a knife. The woman was possibly under the influence of narcotics, police said. The officers told the woman to drop the butcher knife several times. One of the officers drew his weapon and fatally shot the woman.
Angel Chiwengo died when the Jeep she was riding in was struck by a Honda that sped away from police trying to make a traffic stop in Baltimore.
The family of Kayla Moore alleged in the lawsuit filed in 2014 against the city of Berkeley that six officers used excessive force and suffocated Moore by holding her down on a futon during a struggle after they were called to an Allston Way apartment on Feb. 12, 2013, for a mental health check.
Amber Nashay Carter, 21, died when she crashed her vehicle after fleeing an officer who attempted to stop her on I-40 near Merritt Drive. Greensboro Police say Corporal J.L. Barber was driving in front of a black Cadillac that was going 51 mph in a 60 mph zone. Greensboro Police Chief Ken Miller said the driver was driving "suspiciously" because she refused to pass the officer.
Darnesha
Harris, 17
December 11, 2012
Breaux Bridge, LA
Darnesha was driving a car when she struck the front of a police car. She then put the car in reverse and struck a parked car before driving forward again through a ditch, striking a bystander and another parked car. An officer subsequently shot and killed Darnesha.
According to police, Shelly and two others were shoplifting when confronted by a security guard (and former police officer). The women ran to their car and accelerated away which is when the security guard fired a deadly shot into the car which hit Shelly in the neck. There were two small children in the car at the time.
An officer saw a car speed by and reported that a gun was shot in his direction so he began pursuit and called for backup. At least 30 patrol cars pursued the vehicle driven by Timothy Russell of which Malissa was a passenger. Their vehicle was blocked and Russell rammed a patrol car and drove towards an officer. Thirteen officers fired 137 rounds striking Russell 23 times and Malissa 24 times. No gun was recovered from the vehicle (strong chance the initial noise was Russell’s car backfiring).
Erica
Collins, 26
October 13, 2012
Cincinnati, OH
The officer responded to a domestic dispute that Erica had called in saying that her sister had attempted to break into her apartment. The officer allegedly saw Erica exiting her apartment carrying a butcher knife and running toward her sister’s car where her sister was and attempted to slash the tire. The officer then removed his firearm and told her to drop the knife, but Erica did not comply. Erica raised her knife and the officer shot.
Alesia
Thomas, 35
July 22, 2012
Los Angeles, CA
Officer handcuffed Alesia and assaulted her. She was placed in the back of the squad car where she said that she could not breathe or move. The officer gave her commands, but she said she couldn’t follow them. The officer then screamed at Alesia before striking her throat and kicking at her crotch multiple times. The officer had Alesia’s feet restrained as well. After the assault, the officer smoked a cigarette while Alesia fell unconscious and said “That ain’t a good sign.”
On June 14, 2012, Shantel Davis, a 23-year-old African-American woman, was fatally shot by New York City, New York Police Department (NYPD) officer Phil Atkins. Just before her death, Davis ran several red lights and crashed the allegedly stolen car she was driving at an intersection in the East Flatbush section of Brooklyn. Two plainclothes police officers saw Davis driving erratically and pursued her vehicle. Once her car came to a stop after colliding with a minivan, the officers got out of their car and approached on foot. Davis opened her passenger-side door, knocking one officer to the ground. She then got back into the driver’s seat. Believing that Davis was trying to drive away, and with the car moving backwards, Detective Phil Atkins reached into her car and tried to shift it into park. While they struggled for control, Atkins shot her once in the chest.
A man called the police saying a female friend of his took his car without permission and that his gun was in the center console. Officers stopped the car and there was a 30-minute standoff. According to police, Sharmel stepped out of the car with a gun in her hands and pointed it at officers. Sharmel was shot multiple times and died at the scene. Several witnesses have come forward to say that Sharmel did not point a gun at officers.
An off-duty detective said that he rolled down his car window to ask a group of people to quiet down, and in response, a man pointed a gun at the officer who then drew his weapon and fired. The bullets hit the man as well as Rekia who was unarmed. Witnesses said that no one pulled a gun on the officer and the man was holding a cell phone instead. No weapon was ever recovered from the scene.
Shereese had a fight with her mother and had become increasingly emotionally distraught. She had not been taking her prescribed medication for schizophrenia. Her sister called 911 hoping to get Shereese to a hospital but before the ambulance arrived, four police officers responded to the call and chased Shereese through the house, ultimately cornering her in a basement bedroom, forcing her face-down on the bed, and applying pressure while they cuffed her. Within twenty minutes of police arriving, Shereese had stopped breathing.
According to police, they were responding to an alarm in Jameela’s building, then her apartment. Jameela allegedly opened the door with a knife and a handgun and attacked a police officer, and the officer fired his weapon to stop the assault.
A homeless woman was fighting another woman while holding two knives. Officers told her to drop them and she refused and lunged at them. The officers fired several times.
Someone called 911. Catawaba was making threats to herself and others. When police arrived, she allegedly began to fire at the cops. The cops returned fire and Catawaba was killed on the scene. She was an eight-year veteran of the Air Force and Army Reserves who recently left the military. According to her family, Catawaba had mental health issues.
Officers responded to reports that a woman was shooting at her daughter and grandchildren. Officers then allegedly saw Brenda pointing her weapon at a neighbor across the street, and so they fired their weapons at her. According to Brenda’s family, Brenda is deaf so would not have been able to hear police commands.
Derrinesha
Clay, 17
March 14, 2011
Lansing, MI
Officers searched a bank and found Derrinesha, who had entered through a broken window, hiding in a storage closet with a pair of scissors. According to officers, she was shot twice while on her knees during a struggle. Derrinesha may have been bipolar and had run away from home.
Shelley and Cheryl were killed when an on-duty police officer who was driving at twice the speed limit, was not responding to a call, nor had any emergency lights on crashed into their car.
Carolyn’s partner, a woman, called 911 about a domestic dispute and reported that the couple were arguing and told the dispatchers her partner was armed with a kitchen knife. Carolyn walked outside (unarmed) after officers surrounded her home and told the officers to shoot her. Then she went back inside and emerged with a BB gun and ignored commands to drop it. Officers fired a total of nine times. Police had responded to domestic disputes at the home twice before and in the last one Carolyn was reported to be suicidal and had overdosed on sleeping pills.
Police fired a flash grenade through the front window to distract the occupants. According to the officer, Aiyana’s grandmother attempted to slap his gun, causing it to fire. The bullet hit Aiyana. Her grandmother says she made no contact with them.
Aiyana was shot and killed during a raid conducted by the Detroit Police Department’s Special Response Team. Police fired a flash grenade through the front window to distract the occupants. According to the officer, Aiyana’s grandmother attempted to slap his gun, causing it to fire. The bullet hit Aiyana. Her grandmother says she made no contact with them.
Ahjah was a college student at Navarro College. She died in the Corsicana jail after her arrest on suspicion of alcohol and drug use in the dormitory. According to campus police, after arrest she had problems breathing and told officers she needed air. She was then taken to a recreation yard where she also asked for water. There is a video that shows the police taking Ahjah from the cell where she is walking without assistance. Less than 2 hours after the video was taken, Ahjah was dead
Sarah
Riggins, 49
October 23, 2009
Albany, GA
Sarah was shot and killed by an officer after she allegedly exited the home brandishing a handgun and a knife, refused to drop them, and then fired at the officer. Other witnesses said they did not see that and saw Sarah with her hands up. Police were dispatched to Sarah’s home after Sarah’s boyfriend called 911 saying there was a domestic dispute.
Police responded to a call of a woman threatening her neighbors with a butcher knife at an apartment complex. According to the officer, Katherine threw beer bottles at them and struck an officer repeatedly in the chest with the knife, but the blade was deflected by the officer’s ballistic vest and neck protector. According to the officer, they tried using a Taser (which missed) and fired two sage rounds without effect.
Barbara called 911 threatening to commit suicide. She was found on the sidewalk by three officers, and one of them fired when she approached. Barbara was holding a BB pellet handgun.
Duanna
Johnson, 43
2008
Memphis, TN
Tarika
Wilson, 26
2008
Lima, OH
Kathryn
Johnston, 92
2006
Atlanta, GA
Alberta
Spruill, 57
2003
New York, NY
Kendra
James, 21
2003
Portland, OR
Nizah
Morris, 47
2002
Philadelphia, PA
LaTanya
Haggerty, 26
1999
Chicago, IL
Margaret
Mitchell, 55
1999
Los Angeles, CA
Tyisha
Miller, 19
1998
Riverside, CA
Danette
Daniels, 31
1997
Newark, NJ
Frankie Ann
Perkins, 37
1997
Chicago, IL
Sonji
Taylor, 27
1993
Los Angeles, CA
Eleanor
Bumpurs, 66
1984
Bronx NYC
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