A man's death from gunshot wounds fired by New Orleans police officers has prompted outraged protests for what family members are calling a "murder."
The man, 22-year-old Adolph Grimes III, traveled to his grandmother's home near the French Quarter in order to celebrate New Year's Eve with his fiance and their 17-month-old son.
Three hours after arrival, at about 3 a.m., he was found dead a block from the front door.
The Orleans Parish coroner said Grimes was shot 14 times, including 12 times in the back.
"This violence has to stop. My child's death will not be meaningless. He did not die in vain," said Grimes' mother, Patricia Grimes.
An editorial in The Times-Picayune said the shooting "demands answers."
Despite the fact that the seven officers involved in the incident have been reassigned, Superintendent Warren Riley has refused to answer "fundamental questions" about the shooting and maintains that Grimes fired upon his men first.
Several dozen people protested the New Orleans Police Department on Thursday morning to demand justice for Grimes' death.
A mix of people walked paced in front of a police station carrying signs with slogans like "Down with the government" and shouting to passers-by "You could be next!"
A group of black ministers and advocates has called for the department to be purged of "trigger-happy" officers and the Grimes family's attorney, Richard Jenkins is certain an investigation will show rogue cops and sloppy police work.
"I just think it was some bad officers who were out there and imposing their will on the community," Jenkins said.
No comments:
Post a Comment