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Police shoot pregnant woman dead (USA)

999 replies

SuddenlyOld · 02/09/2023 07:35

Ok America, since when did it become normal for police officers to point guns at pregnant women accused of shoplifting?
She didn't have a weapon or get violent. Turns out she hadn't stolen anything either.
If I was black in America I'd be scared to go out 😪😪😪
This is probably the worst thing I've seen ever.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66690408

Footage of police with guns drawn

Bodycam video shows Ohio police fatally shooting pregnant black woman

Ta'Kiya Young, 21, appears to advance the car towards an Ohio officer before a single shot is fired.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66690408

OP posts:
Thread gallery
19
Wanderingowl · 02/09/2023 09:39

SapphosRock · 02/09/2023 07:59

I knew before I opened the thread the woman would be black.

No pregnant, white woman in the US would be shot by the police

Horrifically racist and violent place.

YANBU.

I don't think any of them were pregnant but Jastine Diamond, Melissa Perez, Valentina Orellana-Peralta and Jamie Feith were all white women or girls shot dead by American police in the last few years. Perez and Feith were acting dangerously, Jastine Diamond and Valentina Orellana-Peralta were both completely innocent. There is a clear 'culture war' narrative in the way the deaths of people who are shot by police in the US are reported on. And dead white women don't fit into it, so they don't become so widely known.

The problem is that the police in the US genuinely fear for their lives on an ongoing basis. Last year alone 64 officers were shot to death and 56 were killed by vehicles. They are killed during traffic stops, domestic violence call outs, disturbance call outs, while making arrests. They are even routinely ambushed and taken by surprise. And those numbers, 120 deaths in a year, are just the shootings and accidents where they die. Many, many more are left with severe injuries. There is no doubt that racism is still a big issue and a major part of the problem. But there is so, so, so much more to it than all bastard cops being trigger happy with black people. And as long as people focus on one aspect of a much, much bigger issue, things will only get worse, not better.

Iwantcakeeveryday · 02/09/2023 09:39

loislovesstewie · 02/09/2023 09:37

In the USA, just get out of your car, or do whatever you are told to do. Don't look as though you are reaching for a gun, keep your hands visible. I'm not saying that she should have been shot, but if you know that police officers have guns , why would anyone not just stop the car and get out? She was told many times what to do and didn't.

because maybe they'll kneel on your chest and kill you. That's why.

saffronsoup · 02/09/2023 09:39

Prescottdanni123 · 02/09/2023 09:34

@Balhammom

Can you find me some examples of white people being held at gunpoint under suspicion of shoplifting?

Guy suspected of stealing a bag of chips from Target

Shoplifter Held at Gunpoint at Target In Van Nuys / Sherman Oaks

A Shoplifter by the name of Kevin was at the local target store in Sherman oaks. Near Sepulveda & Burbank. Target Security tried desperately to apprehend him...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdIuaN0DYpU

Livinghappy · 02/09/2023 09:40

Maybe anyone here from uk police but my thinking is that in the UK, officers would have checked her car registration /address so if she drove off, they could have followed up later. They would not have put her and themselves at risk.

Why was it essential that she was stopped?? I would understand if she was terrorist or suspected of having a bomb but shop lifting??

Tourists should stop visiting the USA until there is better policing.

Pleaseme · 02/09/2023 09:40

Balhammom · 02/09/2023 09:24

I really don’t understand a lot of these replies. It is exceptionally rare for someone who stops, listens and does as the police tell them to come to harm. If she hadn’t been shoplifting, I’m pretty confident it could have been resolved quite quickly.

Instead this woman drove at a police officer. The consequences of doing so are entirely obviously, particularly in the US. The onus isn’t on the police to run out of the way.

This all happened really quickly. It went from get out out of the car, to two men shouting aggressively, hitting her car, and pointing a gun at her within 30 seconds. I can absolutely see how in that situation how panic, Adrenalin and a fight/flight response kicks in.

Surely the initial officer at the window could of spoken to her calmly, asked for her ID etc. She put the window down and spoke to him. She was obviously willing to communicate. The rapid escalation is due to the officers actions.

Iwantcakeeveryday · 02/09/2023 09:42

@Balhammom none of what you wrote is true

FinnRussell · 02/09/2023 09:42

Absolutely terrifying. From watching the footage her car looks like it barely moves. Absolutely no need to shoot. The guns should never have been drawn in the first place. If the police felt the need, why not shoot out the tyres to stop her leaving. Even if she had shoplifted the response was entirely disproportionate and looks like manslaughter to me.

This is shaking. I'd hate to live in America, and I'm white.

Iwantcakeeveryday · 02/09/2023 09:43

@Livinghappy recently met police arrested a woman they suspected of not paying for a bus ticket, in front of her child. she had paid.

Prescottdanni123 · 02/09/2023 09:43

@Balhammom

With the amount of black people wrongfully fired at, it is no wonder she was scared. As other people have pointed out, US cops are quick to wrestle people to the ground even when no violence or failure to comply is shown. She was 7 months pregnant so it is understandable that she wanted to protect her baby. Her protective urges were probably in overdrive as it was. She was in an automatic car. You don't need to make a conscious decision to move forwards, just ease pressure on the foot brake, which she might have done out of panic. We don't know and won't ever know now. Shouting aggressively and holding a pregnant woman at gunpoint is an excessive show of force and just because it is the way things are done in the UK doesn't make it OK. Her actions didn't warrant being shot dead. The police officer could have stepped out the way and called for back up or used number plates or CCTV. Or just not drawn his gun in the first place and handled the situation in a calm, non-inflammatory manner.

RoomOfRequirement · 02/09/2023 09:44

missmollygreen · 02/09/2023 08:15

Put yourselves in the police mans shoes for a second.
You get called to a suspected shoplifter, you tell her to stop, but instead the car is put into drive and bumps into you. You have to make a split second decision about whether she is going to stamp on the throttle and run you over.
What do you do?

What the fuck is wrong with you.

herewegoroundthebastardbush · 02/09/2023 09:44

Poppyblush · 02/09/2023 07:50

But if police say stop, why not stop???

As a black woman in America? REALLY?

smilesup · 02/09/2023 09:45

Poppyblush · 02/09/2023 07:43

The woman was driving at the cop in a car ffs!!! She had been accused of stealing!! Why not just stop???

Edited

You are obviously not black or American. Privilege shining through. I've seen my black friend targeted by police here for no good reason at all and ignore the rest of us, the US is 1000 times worse.
Being pulled by the police is frightening enough but when they are armed and renowned for being racist and trigger happy I can't even imagine.

Iwantcakeeveryday · 02/09/2023 09:45

Police are TRAINED to deescalate situations. This was shoplifting. What the fuck are they doing going in there aggressively like she is suspected of murder with guns drawn? They did it because she was black. Wake up.

Prescottdanni123 · 02/09/2023 09:45

@saffronsoup

Without seeing the build up to that incident I can't really pass comment on whether a gun was necessary or not.

Remagirl · 02/09/2023 09:46

Poppyblush · 02/09/2023 07:43

The woman was driving at the cop in a car ffs!!! She had been accused of stealing!! Why not just stop???

Edited

She was trying to drive away slowly when he stood in front of her car and shot her point blank. They could have followed her, she was a shoplifting suspect.

Towdalinenow · 02/09/2023 09:46

Any Americans on here?

Please can you explain what happened here? Why would a police officer shoot someone in the chest for suspected shoplifting?

I don’t understand why they would shoot. It doesn’t make sense to me as a Brit.

Is this a rogue officer or are they trained to shoot at members of the public who won’t comply with their demands?

I work in a field where violence and aggression is a constant risk and we have laws around least restrictive practice and have to apply the least force possible when safety is at risk. The priority is to keep the perpetrator safe as well as public/staff. There is a lot of paperwork and you are accountable for the decision made in the moment, you have to be able to justify using force. Granted they don’t have guns.

It’s absolutely shocking to me that a police officer would go straight to shoot to kill in this circumstance. I can’t understand how it would ever be permissible?

loislovesstewie · 02/09/2023 09:46

So, the answer is that the police arrest/stop no one? Welcome to a place where anarchy reigns. What I find so amazing is that no one wants to be a victim of crime, no matter who they are, no matter where they live. There have been threads on here, recently where people are baying for the return of the death penalty, harsh sentences etc, but a police officer tries to stop a suspect and no one wants that.
I wonder how many times arrests take place with no issues because the suspect just complies? How many times does it go wrong? And if so why? Every one I have seen , the suspect tries to run.

Iwantcakeeveryday · 02/09/2023 09:47

loislovesstewie · 02/09/2023 09:46

So, the answer is that the police arrest/stop no one? Welcome to a place where anarchy reigns. What I find so amazing is that no one wants to be a victim of crime, no matter who they are, no matter where they live. There have been threads on here, recently where people are baying for the return of the death penalty, harsh sentences etc, but a police officer tries to stop a suspect and no one wants that.
I wonder how many times arrests take place with no issues because the suspect just complies? How many times does it go wrong? And if so why? Every one I have seen , the suspect tries to run.

what the fuck? They do not need to draw guns of for shoplifting. Nobody is saying lets have no laws ffs. This woman had done nothing.

Stressedafff · 02/09/2023 09:48

Nasty racist little bullies who’ve probably been weasels all their life, but now their badge and gun gives them a power trip and an outlet to do what they want whenever they want

Poor girl and her baby. Hope the coward that’s shot her meets the same ending. What an absolute backward country

hylian · 02/09/2023 09:48

As soon as I saw the title of this thread I was just waiting to read that she was black. Confirmed. What a surprise.

Prescottdanni123 · 02/09/2023 09:49

@loislovesstewie

If they had handled the situation calmly without drawing their guns within 30 seconds, she might have agreed to be searched. Which might have revealed that she had taken nothing.

If the police had stepped aside, they could have got her number plates, or viewed CCTV or called in back up and caught her that way.

AndThenItWas · 02/09/2023 09:49

wherethewaterisdarker · 02/09/2023 08:18

This is horrifying and the racist apologists for this murder on this thread scare and disgust me.

Yes.

herewegoroundthebastardbush · 02/09/2023 09:50

OhmygodDont · 02/09/2023 07:57

Article I read said one cop has his arm though the window so that was assault or something and one cop she hit with the car bonnet. So then copper at the front fired once. Paramedics where called within 10 seconds blah blah blah.

police claim they where called to suspected shoplifting. Family say she wasn’t as would everyone’s family I don’t think that’s been proven either way has it?

I’ll be honest the cop should of shot a tire if he was trying to stop her driving off but like others if a officer told me to stop I’d be stopped especially with a gun pointed at me.

Are you a black woman living under the rule of a notoriously institutionally racist and violent, virtually unaccountable police force? If not, what you would or would not do is spectacularly irrelevant.

Can't believe anyone would even begin to make excuses for this. Literally 1000 things they could have done instead of shoot her dead. He was clearly just angry the uppity young black girl didn't do what he said and reacted with his anger. He drew his gun to cow her, not because she was any kind of risk, and when she proved uncowed he was bloody furious and shot her dead. There is no excuse. None.

loislovesstewie · 02/09/2023 09:50

If she did nothing then comply. I don't know whether she is innocent or not. BUT not complying won't end well. And if the law says she can be arrested then that is what happens.

WeWereInParis · 02/09/2023 09:51

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Nor had she been charged, tried, convicted and sentenced to death.

The police officers were not in danger, neither was anybody else. There is no way that standing over her car, pointing guns at her and yelling "get out of the car! Get out of the car! Get out of the car!" was a reasonable way to deal with the situation.

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