Within the past few years there has been an increase in media coverage regarding unarmed Blacks being targeted and killed by police. It is important to keep track of and acknowledge the victims whose lives were wrongfully taken. This timeline provides a brief account of a few of the unarmed killings of Blacks that have happened in The United States since 2012.
April 5th 2016, Kevin Hicks is shot and killed in a gas station in Indianapolis, Indiana. Hicks’ wife called 911 after she reported he was assaulting her. Hicks and the officer at the scene of the incident got into a physical altercation before the officer shot him. The video and the name of the officer involved have not been released.
March 12th 2016, Peter Gaines is shot and killed by K. Levi in Houston Texas for “aggressive” behavior. Gaines was tased multiple times before being shot. Officer Levi has been put on administrative leave. This case is still under investigation.
February 15th 2016, Catherine Daniels calls police to help calm down her schizophrenic son Lavall Hall. According to officers, Hall was outside of his house in Miami Gardens, Florida acting violently wearing only his underwear and holding a broomstick. He was shot and killed; the shooting was recorded on a dash- cam. The officers were advised before hand that Hall was mentally ill and to not use excessive force. His family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit. No chargers were brought against any of the officers involved.
WARNING: this video contains disturbing imagery and/or audio
February 13th 2016, Calin Roquemore is followed by state troopers in Beckville, Texas before he crashes into a tree. Roquemore flees on foot and falls. Reports say the state trooper believed Roquemore was reaching for a gun as he tried to get up, the trooper then proceeded to shoot and kill him. This case is currently under investigation. There was no weapon found at the scene.
February 9th 2016, 17 year-old David Joseph is shot and killed by officer Geoffrey Freeman in Austin, Texas. Joseph was pursued after there were complaints of someone chasing a man in a nearby apartment complex. He was naked and unarmed during the time of the incident. Officer Freeman has since been fired.
December 31st 2015, Keith Childress Jr. is approached by officers in Las Vegas, Nevada after he was believed to be a suspect in an attempted murder case. Childress was shot multiple times by police after reaching for his phone which authorities believed was a gun. Childress’ attorney has said he was wanted for other crimes but not attempted murder. This case is under investigation
December 28th 2015, Bettie Jones is “accidentally” shot and killed by Chicago police. The shooting occurred while Jones was directing officers to her neighbors who were in a domestic dispute. A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed by the victims’ family. This case is still under investigation.
(related: Quintonio LeGrier)
December 26th 2015, 19 year-old Quintonio LeGrier is shot and killed in his home by Chicago police. The incident occurred after his father, Antonio LeGrier, called police after his son had been hitting his bedroom door with a baseball bat. Antonio LeGrier made the call so officers could help calm his son. Quintonio was reported to have been on medication for mental health problems. Antonio LeGrier has filed a wrongful death lawsuit.
(related: Bettie Jones)
December 23rd 2015 Kevin Matthews Detroit, Michigan
December 20th 2015 Leroy Browning Palmdale, California
December 8th 2015, Police attempted to pull over Miguel Espinal Yonkers, New York. Espinal was initially approached for numerous traffic violations. He continued driving until he crashed his car and took off on foot. Espinal was reportedly shot and killed while being taken into custody. This case is still being investigated.
November 15th 2015, Richard Perkins is shot and killed by four police officers in Oakland, California after pointing a pellet gun at them. Sources say there was no communication between the officers and Perkins before they shot him. All police involved in the shooting are currently under investigation.
November 15th 2015, 24 year-old Jamar Clark is brutally shot in the head in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Clark was handcuffed while the shooting occurred. Reports say authorities were called due to an escalated argument between Clark and his girlfriend. Authorities and witnesses are giving two different accounts of the event. Police have said Clark was being disruptive and resisting arrest while many witnesses have said Clark was being cooperative and are currently fighting for the release of footage from the shooting. The two officers involved, Mark Ringgenberg and Dustin Schwaze, are currently on paid leave. This case is still being investigated.
November 11th Michael Marshall Denver Colorado
October 27th 2015 Anthony Ashford San Diego, California
September 23rd Keith McLeod Reisterstown, Maryland
September 5th 2015, India Kager is killed by police in Virginia Beach after the passenger of the car she was driving reportedly shot at police. Four officers fired 30 shots at the couple while their 4-month old baby was in the back seat. Authorities say the passenger, Angelo Perry, was a person of interest in a homicide case. The names of the involved officers have not been released.
August 7th 2015 Christian Taylor Arlington, Texas
August 6th 2015 Troy Robinson Decatur, Georgia
July 26th 2015, Ralkina Jones is found dead in a Cleveland Ohio jail just a few days after being arrested for property damage. The information on this case is currently very limited. This case is still being investigated.
July 19th 2015, Sam DuBose is shot and killed by police officer Ray Tensing in Cincinnati, Ohio. DuBose is pulled over for driving without a front license plate. Tensing claimed DuBose tried to run him over with his car and was dragged as a result. Video evidence from Tensing’s bodycam has proved this statement false. The bodycam also revealed the roles two other officers, Phillip Kidd and Eric Weibel, played in helping Tensing cover up the facts of DuBose’s death. Tensing has been fired from the police department. He was charged with murder and voluntary manslaughter; he pleaded not guilty.
WARNING: this video contains disturbing imagery and/or audio
July 17th 2015 Darrius Stewart Memphis, Tennessee
July 11th 2015 George Mann Stone Mountain, Georgia
July 14 2015, 18 year-old Kindra Chapman is found dead in a local Alabama jail while in Police Custody. Chapman was arrested for allegedly stealing a cell phone. Authorities have ruled her death a suicide, but family and friends are fighting these allegations saying Chapman was not suicidal. This case is still being investigated.
July 10 2015, Sandra Bland, civil rights activist and participant of the Black Lives matter campaign, is arrested in Texas by police officer Brian Encinia at a traffic stop for allegedly not using indicators when switching into another lane. Three days after the arrest on July 13 2015 Sandra Bland was found hanging in her cell and was pronounced dead later that day. Police originally labeled Bland’s death a suicide, but an overwhelming amount of inconsistencies in the case has prompted many to believe this was a homicide. Video shows a portion of the altercation Encinia and Bland had during her arrest where. Encinia reported he used no force or threat to remove Bland from her car, but videos have proved otherwise. He has since been put on desk duty. This case is still being investigated.
**UPDATE: Brian Encinia has been indicted on a perjury charge- 1/16
Encinia was formally fired- 3/16
June 25th 2015 Spencer McCain Owings Mills, Maryland
April 25th 2015 David Felix New York, New York
April 22nd 2015 William Chapman III Portsmouth, Virginia
April 21st 2015 Samuel Harrel Beacon, New York
April 12th 2015, Freddie Gray is arrested by Baltimore police after being chased down. Seven days later on April 19th 2015 Gray dies due to a spinal cord injury. The actual cause of the injury is still unclear, but several reports say it did happen while in police custody. Gray’s death led to the recent Baltimore uprising against police brutality. The six officers involved in Gray’s arrest have been criminally charged.
**UPDATE: The first trial in this case ended in a hung jury. No word on a retrial.
April 4th 2015, Walter Scott is killed in Charleston, South Carolina by officer Michael Slager. Slager who claimed Scott was reaching for a taser shot Scott eight times in the back. Video reports show Scott running from Slager as he is being shot in the back. The now ex cop involved in the incident has been indicted on a murder charge.
WARNING: this video contains disturbing imagery and/or audio
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April 2nd 2015 Eric Harris Tulsa, Oklahoma
March 31 2015 Phillip White Vineland, New Jersey
December 30th 2014 Jerame Reid Bridgeton, New Jersey
December 2nd 2014 Rumain Bribson Phoenix, Arizona
November 23rd 2014, Tamir Rice is killed by police officer Timothy Loehmann for playing with a toy gun in a park in Cleveland Ohio. According to reports the person who initially called 911 told police the gun could possibly be fake.
**UPDATE: No criminal charges were brought to officers involved in the killing of Tamir Rice.
WARNING: this video contains disturbing imagery and/or audio
November 20th 2014 Akai Gurley Brooklyn, New York
November 14th 2014 Tanisha Anderson Cleveland, Ohio
August 19th 2014 Kajime Powell St. Louis, Missouri
October 20th 2014, 17 year-old Laquan McDonald is shot 16 times in Chicago, Illinois by officer Jason Van Dyke. Reports say McDonald was intially approached by Van Dyke for walking down the street with what appeared to be a knife in his hand.
**UPDATE Jason Van Dyke turned himself in the morning of October 24th, 2015 and has been charged with first-degree murder. A dash cam video was released a few days prior.
WARNING: this video contains disturbing imagery and/or audio
August 12th 2014 Dante Parker San Bernardino, California
August 11th 2014 Ezell Ford Florence, California
August 9th 2014, 18 year-old Michael Brown is shot and killed in Ferguson by police officer Darren Wilson. Autopsy reports say Brown was shot six times. Brown was approached by Wilson as a result of a call about a robbery at a local convenient store. Wilson was not indicted. The night of the grand jury decision was filled with outrage and prompted a series of protests nationwide.
August 5th 2014, John Crawford III is shot and killed in Ohio by police in a Wal-Mart after picking up an air rifle from the shelf.
August 2nd 2014 Tyree Woodson Baltimore, Maryland
WARNING: this video contains disturbing imagery and/or audio
July 17th 2014, Eric Garner is wrestled down and choked to death after selling illegal cigarettes in New York by police officer Daniel Pantaleo. Pantaleo was not charged in Garner’s Death. Garner’s last words were “I can’t breathe” which became a popular slogan and chant for many Black Lives Matter protests.
**UPDATE: Criminal chargers were not brought against officer Daniel Pantaleo for the killing of Michael Brown.
WARNING: this video contains disturbing imagery and/or audio
April 30th 2014, Dontre Hamilton is shot 14 times in Milwaukee by police officer Christopher Manney. Manney alleged Hamilton, who was reported to be mentally ill, reached for Manney’s baton. Manney was fired but was not charged for the killing of Dontre Hamilton.
March 22nd 2014 Victor White III Iberia Parish, Louisiana
February 16th 2014 Yvette Smith Bastrop, Texas
Jan 28th 2014 Mckenzie Cochran Southfield, Michigan
Jan 16th 2014 Jordan Baker Houston, Texas
November 2nd 2013, Renisha McBride is shot and killed in Michigan by Theodore Wafer for knocking on his door. Hours before McBride’s death she was in a car accident and walked over to a nearby area to ask for help leading her to Wafer’s front yard. Wafer was charged in the killing of Renisha McBride with a minimum sentence of 17 years.
September 14th 2013 Jonathan Ferrel Bradfield Farms, N.C
August 15 2013 Carlos Alcis New York, New York
July 26th 2013 Larry Eugene Jackson Austin, Texas
March 10th 2013 Clinton Allen Dallas, Texas
March 9th 2013 Kimani Gray New York, New York
November 23rd 2012, Jordan Davis is shot and killed in Florida by Michael Dunn for playing “loud” music from his car. Dunn claimed he was being threatened by Davis and the other passengers. Dunn was charged on 4 counts of attempted murder but not on first degree murder. He pleaded guilty for first-degree murder and three counts of attempted first-degree murder.
July 29th 2012 Chavis Carter Jonesboro, Arkansas
March 21st 2012 Rekia Boyd Chicago, Illinois
March 24th 2012 Ervin Jefferson Atlanta Georgia
March 24th 2012 Kendrec McDade Pasadena, California
March 15th 2012 Shereese Francis New York, New York
March 7th 2012 Wendell Allen New Orleans, Louisiana
March 1st 2012 Dante Price Dayton, Ohio
February 26th 2012, 17 year-old Trayvon Martin is shot and killed by neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida after leaving a convenience store. Zimmerman profiled Martin due to the high crime area they were in and fatally shot Martin in the chest. Zimmerman claimed he was acting in “self defense” and was later acquitted of second-degree murder charges.
What about Black on Black crime. I am all for a good cause, but I am not for ignoring what’s really going on and what we are doing in our own communities. Hell, look at the violence we are experiencing in DC. We to fight for tougher laws. Carrying a gun should be a minimum of 10 years. Murder should be life. Attempted murder should be 50 years. But, we have Black fighting and saying it is too many Blacks in jail. It is too many innocent Blacks in jail. I was born and raised in DC and I am 57 ad i don’t know no one who is innocent sitting in jail. This is what we need to fight for. So our kids and grandchildren can live a better life. And maybe these kids will think twice about their actions.
Thank you Anaise.