July 5
Baton Rouge, LA
African-American male, Alton Sterling, 37, was fatally shot after being held on the ground by two Baton Rouge police officers. Officers Howie Lake II and Blane Salamoni responded to a call about an armed man who was selling CDs outside of a convenience store. In videos recorded by bystanders, Sterling was pinned to the ground by the offiers, when they shot him in the chest.
The police officers were placed on paid administrative leave when the U.S. Department of Justice took over the investigation.
July 6
Falcon Heights, MN
African-American male, Philando Castile, 32, was shot by officer Jeronimo Yanez after being pulled over for an alleged broken taillight in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. Castile’s girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, broadcasted the after-math of the shooting live on Facebook as she talked with Yanez. She tells the camera that Castile informed Yanez that he was licensed to carry and that he had a gun on him. When Castile reached for his license in his pocket Yanez mistook it as him reaching for his gun and shot Castile. Later, at Hennepin County Medical Center, Castile was confirmed dead. The following Thursday, thousands of people gathered to commemorate Castile at his funeral.
Officer Yanez was placed on paid administrative leave as the investigation continues.
Aug. 6
San Francisco, CA
Colin Kaepernick, quarterback for San Francisco 49ers, sparked a controversy when he kneeled instead of stood for the national anthem in a preseason game against the Green Bay Packers. He told NFL media that he is not going to have pride in a country that “oppresses black people and people of color.” Since then, many other athletes, including Miami Dolphins running back Arian Foster and Seattle Reign FC midfielder Megan Rapinoe, have followed in his footsteps by taking a knee during the anthem. Others, like Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters, have held up a clenched fist, while some, like the Seattle Seahawks team, have linked arms. It has even reached local teams, like the girls’ volleyball team in DeSoto High School and UNT. Kaepernick claims that he will continue to kneel until there is a change in the country’s racial oppression, even after he received death threats. To further his cause, in the next 10 months he said he will be donating $100,000 every month to charities and program. The money will be able to be tracked on a website by fans so they can see exactly how it is used.
Sept. 16
Tulsa, OK
African American male, Terence Crutcher, 40, was shot and killed by an officer of the Tulsa Police Department. Officer Betty Shelby was responding to another call when she spotted Crutcher. He was walking next to his vehicle, which was stopped in the middle of the road. Officers reported that Crutcher was unresponsive to her and mumbling to himself with his hands in his pockets. The situation escalated and a helicopter cam provided a bird’s eye view of Crutcher being shot by Officer Shelby. Controversy has been amplified because of the video’s audio — a man in the helicopter stating that Crutcher “looks like a bad dude.” Officer Shelby has been charged with first degree manslaughter, which could bring her 4-years to life in prison.
Sept. 20
Charlotte, NC
African-American male, Keith Scott, 43, was shot and killed by an African-American Charlotte police officer, Brently Vinson. In a cell phone video released by Scott’s wife she is heard yelling at Keith to comply with the officers while also pleading to the officers not to shoot him. Videos released are unable to provide enough evidence and context for exactly what happened, however, officers can be heard demanding Scott to drop a gun. There was a gun confirmed as Scott’s on the scene, but whether he was actually holding the gun has yet to be released by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Officer Vinson was placed on paid administrative leave as the investigation continues.
