On Monday, an Austin police officer shot and killed a black 18-year-old who was naked and reportedly acting erratically at the time. Now, the NAACP is questioning whether or not the shooting was legal.
“We see a rush to judgment and as a result, somebody is dead. Normally it’s always somebody black, in this city and this country,” said Nelson Linder, NAACP President.
The Austin Police Department has said that they received multiple calls of a man acting erratically. They have refused to say whether or not he was armed at the time. Only part of the incident was captured on dash cam video.
“The subject did not comply with the commands that the officer was giving and instead, charged the officer. The officer gives repeated commands to stop and additional commands, but the subject did not comply. The incident then goes off the frame but you can hear continued commands from the officers. Then ultimately, you can hear shots being fired,” said Asst. Chief Brian Manley, Austin Police Department.
The APD indicated that there was no evidence that a Taser was used, which has residents worried.
“I don’t know why a taser wasn’t used. I just get worried. We’re trying for kids and we want a son, so I just hope everything was handled properly,” said Myneeka Holloway, neighbor.
“The question is, how do you address your policy now? If it allows this kind of shooting, it’s not of value. The problem with these shootings is often times APD, they don’t appear to enforce their own policies. If that’s the case we have a major problem because if you have a policy and don’t follow it, then what good is it?” Linder said.