Last week police officers shot and killed an armed black male suspect who was standing on the side of the road in Roxboro, NC. Following the incident, an uproar ensued in the community, wrongly assuming that the individual had been unfairly targeted and shot by police officers because of his skin color.
While this narrative was sparked months ago in Minneapolis and ignited a nationwide debate after the death of George Floyd, with violence remaining a problem in minority communities and urban centers, there is simply no data that proves police officers target and/or kill more black individuals than white. In fact, data from the FBI and other criminal justice sources indicate quite the opposite.
Still, any time such a tragic outcome occurs, there are immediately calls for the officers’ heads because they are allegedly racist and shot an “innocent” man.
Such was the case in North Carolina following the death of David Brooks Jr.
Brooks was found by police near a Dollar General store, brandishing a weapon in the open. Moments later he was dead on the side of the road.
Shortly after, family members lashed out at the police with comments like:
“He walked the road every day. He don’t bother anybody. He don’t start no trouble or nothing… He probably had one of those guns he had on his chest. It was visible. He wouldn’t hurt nobody, though.”
“You shoot my cousin in the street like a dog. We want justice… We are not going to stop until we get justice for David Brooks because he never hurt anybody.”
The Internet was ablaze as well, with false claims that Brooks was shot “multiple times in the back,” that he was “chased down” by police and several other emotional cries for justice based on either a lack of details or, worse yet, fabricated stories to paint the police in a bad picture and further drive a wedge between law enforcement and the black community at a time where tension is at an all-time high.
However, as is often the case, people jump to conclusions and incite rage in the community over a completely inaccurate picture of what happened.
First and foremost, this individual, regardless of color, should not have been walking with a sawed-off shotgun on the side of the road if he didn’t want attention from local authorities.
Secondly, and most importantly, there was no chasing down or shooting the individual multiple times. As clearly seen on the dash-cam, he raises his weapon at the officers, placing them and innocent bystanders in immediate danger. The threat was put down in one shot, not multiple per the false reports online.
You can see the footage here; however, be warned it is graphic. It is important though that when law enforcement officers are acting in accordance with rules and regulations, which is the case the vast majority of the time, that we defend them from the mob. Likewise, if someone is out of line, they must face the consequences. In this case, it is pretty simple to see what happened, as tragic as it is:
This piece was written by Drew Berquist on August 2, 2020. It originally appeared in DrewBerquist.com and is used by permission.
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