Alabama cop arrested for murder
in death of unarmed black man shot 5 times
A police officer from Montgomery,
Alabama has been arrested on murder charges over the fatal shooting of an
unarmed black man. His lawyer claimed the arrest was politically motivated,
while the family says the man was shot because of his skin color.
Officer Aaron Smith, 23, was
arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of murder in the death of Gregory Gunn, a
58-year-old African-American man who was walking home around 3 a.m. a week ago
when he was stopped. According to the Associated Press, police said Smith, who
is white, believed Gunn looked “suspicious,” and left his police vehicle to
approach Gunn on foot.
It’s unclear exactly what
happened during the confrontation between the two, but Gunn family attorney
Tyrone Means told AP that Gunn was shot five times – three times in the chest
and two times in the buttocks.
Montgomery County District
Attorney Daryl Bailey said Wednesday that Smith’s arrest did not constitute an
indictment and that the officer was held on a bail of $150,000,AL.com reported.
Bailey determined, along with the
State Bureau of Investigation, that there was “probable cause that a crime had
been committed.” He added that he plans to present the case to a grand jury
once the investigation is finished.
The news comes as police behavior,
particularly in communities of color, continues to be scrutinized across the
US. To the Gunn family and police brutality protesters, Smith’s arrest was
welcomed.
"All I want is
justice," said Gunn's mother, Nellie Ruth Gunn, according to AP.
No comments:
Post a Comment