LA Police Shoot in the Back, Kill Unarmed Man Who Was Laying On Ground

Family members said Tuesday that a 25-year-old man was complying with police orders when he was fatally shot by LAPD officers in the Florence neighborhood South Los Angeles.
Officers responded to a report of a possible officer-involved shooting at the intersection of West 65th Street and South Broadway (map) at 8:12 p.m. Monday, Lt. Ellis Imaizumi of the Los Angeles Police Department said Monday evening.
Patrol officers had “conducted an investigative stop” in the 200 block of 65th Street, and “during the stop a struggle ensued” and police opened fire, an LAPD news release issued midmorning Tuesday stated.
The man was transported to a hospital where he underwent surgery, according to Officer Sara Faden, spokeswoman for the LAPD. He later succumbed to his injuries, police confirmed.
...
Her son was lying on the ground and complying with the officers’ commands when he was shot three times, Tritobia Ford said.
In the aftermath of the shooting, she said, police refused to inform her of where Ezell Ford was hospitalized.
...
“They laid him out and for whatever reason, they shot him in the back, knowing mentally, he has complications. Every officer in this area, from the Newton Division, knows that — that this child has mental problems,” the man said.
“The excessive force … there was no purpose for it. The multiple shootings in the back while he’s laying down? No. Then when the mom comes, they don’t try to console her … they pull the billy clubs out.”
http://ktla.com/2014/08/12/man-hospitalized-after-being-shot-by-police-in-south-l-a/

Ferguson, MO is a Complete Police State Nightmare

Amid the unrest in Ferguson, Mo., a second police-involved shooting was reported overnight, Fox 2 Now reported.
Around 1 a.m. on Wednesday, St. Louis County police responded to reports of shots being fired and four or five armed suspects, wearing ski masks, running near the intersection of Chambers Road and Sheffingdel Court in Ferguson, Valerie Schremp Hahn, a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, reported.
Officers arrived on the scene, saw "multiple subjects running" and gave chase, police spokesman Officer Brian Schellman told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Upon approaching one of the suspects, the man allegedly pointed a handgun at the officer, police said. In response, the officer opened fire.
A gun was reportedly recovered at the scene.
The suspect, who was critically wounded, was taken to an area hospital. The officer was not injured.
There is no word yet on the location of the other suspects.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/13/police-involved-shooting-ferguson_n_5674173.html

Police shoot man pointing gun at officers in Ferguson; woman shot in drive-by

FERGUSON (KTVI) — There has been another police shooting in Ferguson overnight.
Around 1 a.m., four men in ski masks armed with shotguns approached a crowd at Sheffingdell Ct. and Chambers Rd.
Police arrived to hear shots fired, and see people running.  One officer chased a suspected shooter.
Officers say the gunman pointed his handgun at the officer. The officer shot the man.
The suspect was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Police recovered the suspect’s handgun. The officer was not injured.
In a separate shooting at around 12:20 a.m., a woman was shot in the head in a drive-by shooting on Highmont Dr. in Ferguson. She’s expected to survive.
Police are looking for four to five men who were in a white sedan.
FOX 2 was emailed what is believed to be an alert from the FBI. It says a new Black Panther Party member is advocating violence against law enforcement in response to the shooting of Michael Brown.
http://fox2now.com/2014/08/13/another-police-shooting-in-ferguson/ 

Police Kill Compliant Man in Walmart Playing Video Game,Toy Gun

Relatives of John Crawford, the man shot dead by police at a Beavercreek Walmart, say they’ve contacted civil rights organizations because they believe the shooting was not justified.
They believe he was killed possibly after he picked up a toy gun in the store.
Crawford, 22, of Ridge Drive in Fairfield, was identified as the man Beavercreek police shot and killed Tuesday night.
LeeCee Johnson, who said she is the mother of Crawford’s children, said she was on a cell phone call with Crawford when he was shot by officers. She said Crawford went to the area to visit family members.
“We was just talking. He said he was at the video games playing videos and he went over there by the toy section where the toy guns were. And the next thing I know, he said ‘It’s not real,’ and the police start shooting and they said ‘Get on the ground,’ but he was already on the ground because they had shot him,” she said, adding: “And I could hear him just crying and screaming. I feel like they shot him down like he was not even human.”
Beavercreek Police Chief Dennis Evers did not answer questions Wednesday but said officers acted appropriately.
Johnson said she has two children with Crawford: John Crawford IV, who is 1, and Jayden Crawford, who is 4 months old. She just found out she is pregnant with a third child, but never got the chance to tell Crawford.
http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/news/man-police-shot-in-walmart-killed-over-fake-gun-fa/ngw77/

NSA Asked Judge to Delete 'Classified' Testimony Without Public Awareness

Note: Wake up, America...

The National Security Agency worked behind the scenes to remove a section of a court transcript after suspecting one of its lawyers inadvertently disclosed secret information in a court case over alleged illegal surveillance.
Has the wall of secrecy protecting US intelligence-gathering methods become so severe and repressive that even to acknowledge the redaction of sensitive information from public documents is now thought to be revealing too much?
It seems the United States may be heading in that dark direction following a recent session of the Jewel v. NSA case, in which the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is challenging the NSA’s power to monitor foreign citizens’ US-based communications and social media accounts.
In the course of the ongoing case, which has gained public attention in light of the Snowden revelations, the government told US District Judge Jeffrey White that one of its lawyers may have accidentally spilled the beans on sensitive information, the Daily Caller reported.
US authorities wrote a letter to Judge White asking him to remove in camera the classified information from the transcripts, without notifying the public to the change. White not only ignored the government’s request to delete portions of the transcript, but informed the plaintiffs’ attorneys of the government’s request, allowing them to respond in kind.

http://rt.com/usa/179260-nsa-court-delete-testimony/

Fatal Police Shooting of Unarmed College Bound Teen in Missouri Sparks Protests

(CNN) -- Protests in Missouri around the death of an unarmed teen turned violent late Sunday.
A gas station was looted, and police called for additional units to back up officers already on the street, said Brian Schellman, spokesman with the St. Louis County Police Department.
Video from the scene showed police in riot gear. No injuries were immediately reported.
"They are sending in more officers to try and get the situation under control," Schellman said.
Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson said that at least 20 police cars were damaged and that the use of tear gas was a high possibility.
A friend and witnesses say Missouri teen Michael Brown was unarmed and had his hands in the air when a Ferguson police officer shot and killed him, but that account is in dispute.
"The genesis of this was a physical confrontation," Jon Belmar, chief of the St. Louis County Police Department, said at a Sunday news conference.
The officer tried to leave his vehicle just before the shooting on Saturday afternoon, but Brown pushed him back into the car, "where he physically assaulted the police officer" and struggled over the officer's weapon, Belmar said.
A shot was fired inside the police car, and Brown was eventually shot about 35 feet away from the vehicle, Belmar said, adding few details because he didn't want to "prejudice" the case.
All shell casings collected at the scene were from the officer's weapon, Belmar said. He further said the medical examiner would issue a ruling on how many times Brown was shot, but "it was more than just a couple."
http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/10/justice/missouri-police-involved-shooting/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

http://fox2now.com/2014/08/10/report-michael-brown-protesters-damage-police-vehicles-on-west-florissant/?replytocom=110058#respond

May 2013: St. Louis Police Shoots Honor Student 25 Times Over Traffic Violation, Killing Him

Protesters rallied in St. Louis, MO on Wednesday over the death of 25-year-old Cary Ball Jr, who was  shot 25 times by police officers last month. Police say Ball refused to pull over for a traffic stop, eventually crashed into a parked car, and started running. According to police, Ball pointed a semi-automatic handgun at the officers, prompting them to open fire.
Several witnesses who spoke to the family, however, say Ball threw his gun on the ground and was walking toward police with his hands up to surrender when he was shot. Some  unverified reports say 7 of the 25 shots hit him in the back. Police say there was no surveillance video in the area to verify exactly what happened.
Ball was an honor student with a 3.86 GPA, majoring in human services at Forest Park Community College, where he had been celebrated as an “emerging scholar.” According to family and friends, Ball was working to reform his life after being convicted of armed robbery when he was 17. His older brother, Carlos Ball, said Cary probably ran from the police because, as an ex-convict, it was illegal for him to possess a gun.
The two officers have been placed on administrative leave as homicide detectives investigate the shooting, but this is hardly the first time questions have been raised over the St. Louis Police Department’s conduct. In February, a city cop was accused of choking a man in a wheelchair, who was then arrested immediately after testifying at the officer’s disciplinary hearing. A video showing a cop  beating and pepper-spraying a man went viral in 2011, revealing that the cop had stayed on the force despite multiple lawsuits alleging brutality.

http://www.alternet.org/st-louis-police-shoot-black-honor-student-25-times

Two Tulsa Police Officers Shoot, Kill Daughter's Boyfriend for No Reason

TULSA - The 18-year-old daughter of two police officers who were arrested in connection with the murder of her boyfriend says she is devastated.
UPDATE: Gina Kepler has been suspended with pay on two separate occasions while with Tulsa Police Department. Shannon Kepler has not been the subject of disciplinary action.
Lisa Kepler told 2NEWS she met 19-year-old Jeremey Lake at a homeless shelter in downtown Tulsa.
"My parents kicked me out a week ago," said Kepler.
Kepler said she met Lake at the shelter and the two began dating immediately.
"He was just really sweet and caring and he didn't pretend," said Kepler.
Kepler said Lake's family allowed her to stay with them.
On Tuesday night, she said her father, Shannon Kepler, a 24-year veteran of the Tulsa Police Department, found the two of them outside Lake's house.
"We were outside for five minutes and that's when my dad pulled up," she said. "There was no argument. I walked away and Jeremey introduced himself and my dad shot him."

http://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/daughter-of-officers-shannon-kepler-gina-kepler-talks-about-events-leading-up-to-boyfriends-murder

Police report: Tulsa officer fatally shoots daughter's boyfriend
Lisa Kepler said her father shouted at her and that as Lake attempted to introduce himself, Shannon Kepler shot Lake.
Lisa Kepler said she had attempted to stop the shooting but then ran and hid behind a large rose bush in the front yard as her father fired a shot at her that missed. Lisa Kepler said she told authorities it was her dad who was the triggerman.
"I'm not scared of my dad," she said, in tears and openly wondering why he would shoot someone he didn't know.
Josh Mills, 23, a friend of Lake's, said he was also at the scene during the shooting. He said Shannon Kepler also fired a shot at Lake's 13-year-old brother, who was sitting on the front porch. The bullet ricocheted and grazed the boy in the upper arm, Mills said.
Mills said he had paramedic training and tried to stem Lake's bleeding and locate the bullet wounds. Mills said it appeared Lake had been shot in the chest and neck from about 3-feet away. Mills and Lake hadn't known each other long but had become close.
"He was like a brother to me for two weeks," Mills said, tearing up as he described how Lake died in his arms.
Lisa Kepler said her parents had kicked her out of their home recently because of poor "life decisions" she had made and dropped her off at the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless. Lisa Kepler declined to say what those life decisions were.
"I really hope they rot in prison for a very long time," Lisa Kepler said of her parents.
...
Sandra Lewis, executive director of the Day Center, said Lake had never been a volunteer or employee with, nor a client of the center.
Lewis said she knew of Lake and that he "came around" sometimes. There weren't any incident reports involving him, she said. Lake would help carry in donations or pick up trash.
"He was always very helpful," Lewis said.
Wilkins, 50, said Lake had "a lot of love" for people, including those in the homeless community. She said her nephew was "the life of the party."
"No matter if we argued, he never let a day go by without saying, 'I love you,'" Wilkins said.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/crimewatch/police-report-tulsa-officer-fatally-shoots-daughter-s-boyfriend/article_c99c71e0-c77a-5c55-8b6a-30ca3a4f0b84.html 

Police Beat Motivational Speaker at Event for Asking If Something Was Wrong

July 25, 2014


During TedEx talks, “speakers cover topics from sanitation to technological wizadry to deep policy issues to, well, designing boots for beetles.” Among the speakers to have graced the TedEx stage is Nate Howard, a 23 year old motivational speaker who graduated from USC’s Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism.


Considering his background, it is a given that Howard isn’t a threat to society, but he has been harassed by police on several occasions, and recently, he was physical attacked by police, reports The Free Thought Project.


The problems began after Howard gave the commencement speech at San Jose State University and hosted a gathering afterward. By all accounts, the mood was jovial and celebratory, but once police arrived, things changed. Not understanding why police were at the venue, Howard attempted to ask police if there was a problem and that’s when the officers allegedly reacted with violence:

When Howard approached the police to ask what the problem was they responded with hostility, hitting him with a baton and throwing him to the ground. Howard was then immediately placed into handcuffs and taken into custody, even though he was not charged with any crimes and video evidence clearly shows that he was no threat to the officers.

http://breakingbrown.com/2014/07/motivational-speaker-allegedly-beaten-by-police-for-asking-questions/

Man Shot, Paralyzed Over Unpaid Parking Tickets

July 28, 2014
A Pennsylvania man will likely never walk again after he was shot by a Lehigh County constable who was attempting to serve a warrant over unpaid parking tickets.
NBC Philadelphia reports that the constable says he shot 38 year old Kevin McCullers because the he felt his life was in danger.
McCullers, who has several outstanding parking tickets,  was shot as he attempting to back out of his driveway at 7:30am on Thursday morning. His girlfriend says McCullers was on his way to Dunkin Donuts.
“They never knocked on the door! No nothing! I just heard the gunshots! He pulled the car out of the garage and all I heard were gunshots,” said Hafeezah Muhammad, who added that McCullers was shot in the back and may never walk again. “For parking tickets?! It’s insane.”
http://breakingbrown.com/2014/07/man-shot-paralyzed-by-police-over-unpaid-parking-tickets/

Police State Alert: NYPD Target Man Who Only Videotaped Them Choking Man to Death

T
he 22-year-old bystander who filmed Eric Garner’s fatal arrest was arrested Saturday on a charge of gun possession, Staten Live reports.

The man, Ramsey Orta, and a teenage woman, identified by police as Alba Lekaj, were arrested about 10 p.m. after leaving a hotel in Staten Island, N.Y., the report says.

The arrests came after officers from the 120th Precinct Narcotics Unit observed the pair leaving the hotel, which is known for drug activity, a New York Police Department spokeswoman told Staten Island Live. As the officers approached the pair for questioning, they reportedly saw Orta place an object in Lekaj's waistband, the spokeswoman told the news site.

The object was identified as “a loaded .25 caliber handgun that had been reported stolen in Michigan in 2007,” the report says.  Officers also found marijuana in Lekaj’s possession, the report says.
Mr. orta's wife emphatically defends her husband, saying although he is not perfect, he did not do any of the things the police alleged he did. Al Sharpton also weighed in, saying he didn't hear anything in Mr. Orta's words that demonized police, as NYPD suggested earlier. The tape speaks for itself, says Sharpton.
http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2014/08/ramsey_orta_who_filmed_eric_garner_video_arrested_on_weapons_charge.html

Ohio Police Come Up With False Pretense to Do Unwarranted Search and Seizure

Can police officers trick automobile drivers with bogus traffic stops? Cops in a small Ohio town seem to think so, and now they’re under attack for trying to sweep the city of drugs using a creative little loophole.
The Mayfield Heights, Ohio Police Department is under fire after the city recently decided to establish a “drug checkpoint” on Interstate 271. Randomly stopping cars and combing them for contraband is illegal, though, so law enforcement has been using the next best thing: fake checkpoints.
Cops in the Cleveland suburb of only 19,000 have been placing warning signs ahead of a bogus stop and then monitoring the behavior of drivers. If any cars demonstrate suspicious activity after being alerted of the phony roadblock, police say that’s enough to stop and search them.
Police tried the trick last week when they erected signs reading "Drug Checkpoint Ahead," "Police K9 Dog In Use" and "Prepare to Stop." When they spotted cars trying to turn around, officers were deployed to find out why.
Dominic Vitantonio, an assistant prosecutor for Mayfield Heights, told the Cleveland Plain-Dealer that the local police department netted arrests and even seized drugs as a result of the unorthodox tactic.
"We should be applauded for doing this," he told the paper. "It's a good thing."
Others aren’t so sure, however, including one long-haired motorist who said he was singled out. Bill Peters, a 53-year-old heavy metal radio show host, told the Plain-Dealer that he pulled over recently after seeing one of the signs in order to check his phone for directions. As he was parked on the side of the road, police officers approached his car and asked if he was holding drugs. He wasn’t, and they didn’t find any either.
"The last time I checked, it is not against the law to pull over to the side of the road to check directions," Peters told the paper. According to Vitantonio, though, that gave police enough reasonable suspicion to investigate further.

http://rt.com/usa/fake-drug-ohio-police-502/

2013: California City Militarizes Police

Police in Salinas, California are under fire after the department acquired a heavily armored military vehicle for SWAT team operations.
The $650,000 vehicle was gifted to the Salinas Police Department from the government through the 1033 program, which redistributes used equipment to other agencies. According to KSBW, the truck was used in Iraq and Afghanistan.
According to numerous outlets, police stated their SWAT team was in desperate need of a new vehicle. KSBW added that the new truck, built to withstand rifle fire and minefield explosions, has already aided officers looking to arrest a dangerous suspect. The individual was apparently spotted via the vehicle’s high observation deck.
While Police Chief Kelly McMillin believes the vehicle “provides a high capability of protection for our officers and the community,” other members of the community have been outspoken in their disagreement.
Posting on the police department’s Facebook page, citizens criticized the acquisition as excessive, as well as a sign of the militarization of law enforcement.
“That vehicle is made for war,” wrote one commenter. “Do not use my safety to justify that vehicle,” another one wrote. “The Salinas Police Department is just a bunch of cowards that want to use that vehicle as intimidation and to terrorize the citizens of this city.”
“To stop gang members?” asked a commenter. “Hmmm gang members don't riot in mass numbers. It's right in front of our faces and we don't see it. Why would the ARMY!!! give something like that for FREE!!! Let's think for once people.”

http://rt.com/usa/californians-outraged-police-armored-vehicle-689/

Dangerous Trend in Militarized Police: Michigan Township Residents Fight Against Police Militarization

DELTON — Early morning May 10, Jack Nadwornik stepped behind Tujax Tavern, the bar and restaurant he has owned for 30 years in this small, western Michigan town.
Nadwornik, out drinking with friends for his 58th birthday, urinated in a corner of the empty parking lot because the bar was locked up.
Within seconds, two Barry Township police cars and three officers — two of them unpaid reserves — confronted him as he was zipping up his pants. What happened next is up for debate: Police said he resisted arrest. Nadwornick said he didn’t, and a waitress who was leaving work agreed.
What everyone does agree on is the aftermath: Nadwornik had a broken hand from a police baton, bloody elbows, and he had been kneed in the back. He was handcuffed, jailed and charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, a two-year felony.
His treatment outraged many Delton residents who know Nadwornik for his food drives at local churches. They’ve packed recent township board meetings, demanding a Michigan State Police investigation.

... 

Pierce’s critics say there have been other examples of aggressive policing lately, and question why Pierce needs nearly three dozen, non-certified reserve officers to protect a population of 3,900 with the most serious crimes generally theft and burglary.
The department also has two Humvees and two armored personnel carriers received free of charge from the U.S. Department of Defense for a township with only four full-time officers.

...

Until a couple of years ago, the police in the community were a comfortable presence, providing a gentle reminder to pay attention to the rules. The township employed two or three full-time officers. Few speeding tickets were issued, residents recall. Instead, the officer would flash his lights and tell the motorist to slow down.
Jacobs remembers, as a teenager, being picked up for drinking. The officer gave him a lecture and handed him over to his parents.
But shortly after the last Barry Township police chief, Mark Kik, died in 2009, things began to change. There were more reports of teenage drivers being pulled over for minor transgressions, like dice hanging from the rearview mirror. Cars were towed even when owners offered to move them. 

 

http://www.freep.com/article/20140804/NEWS06/308040024/Berry-Township-aggressive-policing

NY Police At it Again: Cops Drag Innocent Wife and Grandmother w/Asthma Out of Home For Wrong Reason

A Brooklyn grandmother who had just taken a shower was dragged from her apartment by about 12 cops who then stood by for more than two minutes while she was naked in the hallway, according to video that emerged Friday.
Denise Stewart was in her Brownsville apartment on July 13 when police — responding to a domestic disturbance call at the building — pounded on her door at 11:45 p.m. and demanded entry.
Stewart, 48, cracked the door wearing only a towel wrapped around her body and underpants — and was yanked into the hallway by cops over the screams of her family and neighbors.
The video shows a chaotic scene as a dozen or so male officers burst into Stewart’s apartment, while several others struggle to subdue and cuff the nearly naked woman in the hallway outside.
Stewart’s towel got lost in the scuffle, leaving the grandmother dressed only in underpants.
“Oxygen, get my oxygen,” the mother of four can be heard saying to the cops, as they propped her bare body against the wall.
...

Diamond Stewart’s 4-year-old son was also pepper sprayed, the family said.

 

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/nypd-officers-drag-naked-brooklyn-woman-apartment-video-article-1.1889292#ixzz39UVFWcBp