All articles tagged with #police shootings
A 21-year-old Nasire Best was shot and killed by Secret Service after an exchange of gunfire near the White House. Best had previously been charged with trespassing and, according to acquaintances, had cut off contact with friends and claimed to be Jesus. The investigation notes his troubled past and past law‑enforcement encounters, but the motive for the incident remains unclear.
A Feb. 20 FoodMaxx robbery in Antioch escalates into a life-or-death chase after a suspect rams a patrol car and drags an officer into a fleeing SUV. Body-cam audio shows the officer ordering the suspect to stop while Dominick Desouza drives away at high speed; the officer shoots Desouza in the leg as the SUV crashes about two miles from the store. Desouza was arrested on multiple charges (kidnapping, robbery, assault on a peace officer, burglary, grand theft, unlawful vehicle taking) and the officer, who sustained minor injuries, is on paid leave as the investigation continues; two other suspects fled the scene.
Minnesota officials filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security, accusing federal agencies of withholding evidence connected to three shootings by federal officers during the immigration crackdown, including the deaths of Renée Good and Alex Pretti and the wounding of an undocumented immigrant, as state investigators seek greater transparency.
The Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation into the shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis, reversing the prior Homeland Security-only review and signaling a broader federal civil rights inquiry, a move spurred by GOP criticism of the initial approach.
Former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson was sentenced to the maximum 20 years in prison for fatally shooting Sonya Massey in her Illinois home while responding to a 911 call about a prowler outside, in the July 2024 incident that drew national attention to police use of force.
Trump aides publicly labeled 16 DHS shootings as justified before investigations were completed, sparking outrage and calls for accountability.
U.S. Border Patrol shot Patrick Gary Schlegel, 34, after he fired at agents during a foot chase near the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona; he was an escapee serving a 36-month sentence for human smuggling, and the FBI is assisting the Pima County sheriff in the investigation.
The Washington Post editorial board argues that the fatal Minneapolis shooting by a federal agent underscores the need for accountability and congressional checks on immigration enforcement, calling to curb the president’s mass deportation agenda and demand DHS/ICE oversight.
Minneapolis confronts fresh protests after a U.S. Border Patrol agent fatally shot Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, in the city—the third fatal shooting involving federal agents there—intensifying scrutiny of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown amid competing state and federal accounts.
An independent autopsy commissioned by Renée Good’s family found she sustained gunshot wounds to her left arm, right breast and head during an encounter with an ICE officer in Minneapolis, adding new detail to the case surrounding her death.
During Tanzania's recent elections, police targeted civilians far from protests, resulting in at least 13 deaths in Mwanza and an estimated 700 extrajudicial killings nationwide, amid allegations of deliberate violence against opposition supporters and a crackdown on dissent, raising serious human rights concerns.
Youth riots erupted across France following the police killing of a 17-year-old boy of Moroccan and Algerian descent. The riots resulted in widespread destruction, with over a thousand buildings burned, damaged, or looted. The violence has sparked debates about abusive policing, economic opportunity, and neglect from the state. While politicians offer various solutions, the riots are expected to have long-term consequences, including boosting the popularity of far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, deepening anger in immigrant-populated suburbs, and further eroding trust in the police force.
The fatal shooting of a 17-year-old boy during a police traffic stop in a Paris suburb has sparked outrage and raised questions about the use of firearms by French police. The incident is the latest in a series of deadly encounters, with most of the victims being of black or Arab origin. French law allows police to shoot in certain situations, including when a driver or occupants of a vehicle refuse to stop and are deemed to pose a risk to the officer's life or others. Critics argue that the law is too vague and has led to an increase in fatal police shootings. The government and police defend the policy, stating that fewer people have been killed by police since the law was implemented. However, a study disputes this claim, showing an increase in police killings since 2017.
Recent cases of police shooting or killing individuals who called 911 for help have raised questions about police hiring, training, policy, and accountability. Policing fatality data is poor, but a Washington Post database suggests police have fatally shot over 8,500 people since 2015, with Black Americans shot at a disproportionate rate. In each case, officers arrived on the scene and acted too quickly, highlighting the need for de-escalation techniques and better information gathering. Efforts are now focusing on training dispatchers and equipping officers to respond to mental health emergencies.
The Albuquerque Police Department (APD) has released its first-ever police shooting trends report, which shows that officers were involved in 18 shootings in 2022. The report highlights several trends, including that two-thirds of officers involved in the shootings have six or fewer years of experience, and one-third of the suspects have a history of mental crisis. The APD is now considering seven changes, including increased training on hands-on tactics, less-lethal munitions, and wound care. The department plans to hold police shooting reviews every six months, with some new training starting in April.