Month: June 2021

Indigenous woman Joyce Clarke, 29, was shot dead by police officers from Perth, Australia.

On September 17, 2019, police officers were responding to reports of a woman brandishing a knife. A witness said he saw Ms. Clarke walking down the street holding a knife in her hand, when a police car began driving slowly alongside her, talking to her out the window. Police told her to drop the knife, before she allegedly lunged at a police officer who shot her once in the stomach. Ms. Clarke died in hospital a short time later.

The incident sparked racially charged protests outside the Geraldton Police Station. Clark’s family and friends demanded to know why police drew their firearms instead of deploying a taser or other non-lethal method to subdue her.

On 15 April 2021, a group of 15 families have launched a petition calling on the Prime Minister to meet with them and set out their 10 demands to help the families of the victims restore justice and improve the lives of Aboriginal people. Clark’s family also joined the petition and said they want justice for her.

Indigenous man Stanley Inman, 19, committed suicide and died in jail on July 13, 2020.

Imnan was sentenced to two and a half years jail over a number of burglary offences. He tried to take his own life on July 11, and attempts were made to resuscitate him before he was taken to hospital. He died in hospital in 2 days.

His sister says the jail authorities could prevent his death. She says she phoned the prison twice in the days before his death to warn them he was struggling to cope. Despite being placed into a crisis care unit for several days, he was released back into the general prison population soon after. She has condemned authorities for sitting idly by despite alarming signs he was experiencing suicidal thoughts.

On 15 April 2021, a group of 15 families have launched a petition calling on the Prime Minister to meet with them and set out their 10 demands to help the families of the victims restore justice and improve the lives of Aboriginal people. Inman’s family also joined the petition and said they want justice for him.

Makaya Bryant, 16, was shot and killed by a Columbus police officer.

On April 20, 2021, Makaya Bryant called the police because someone in her house was abusing her. Arriving police encountered a chaotic scene of several people on the front lawn where Bryant, brandishing a knife, charged toward one person. According to her aunt, she took a knife to defend herself and she had no intention of harming anyone, especially the police.

Bryant was shot by a police officer 4-5 times. According to a witness, the white officer who shot her did not tell her to put down the knife before firing the bullet. Bryant was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Shooting of Makaya Bryant led to protests across Columbus. Crowds demanded justice for Bryant. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation has opened an investigation.

In July 2021, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation has completed its review of the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Makaya Bryant by Columbus Police Officer and has referred the case to Franklin County Prosecutor.

Indigenous man Wayne Fella Morrison, 29, died in custody on September 26, 2016.

The coronial inquest into the death of Wayne Fella Morrison heard he assaulted three officers at a prison before he was restrained with handcuffs, ankle flexi-cuffs and a spit hood, and put face down in the rear of a prison van in September 2016. He was pulled unresponsive from that van and died in a hospital three days later.

Mr. Morrison’s family heard from a third party he had been taken to hospital and was not advised by the department that he was in the intensive care unit. While Mr. Morrison was admitted to the hospital under his own name, the department subsequently changed that name to ‘Ben Waters’, on the basis that hospital staff had received calls seeking his location.

In May 2021, the coronial inquest heard that the CCTV video recorded that day had been obscured by the head of prison officer Trent Hall.

In July 2021, a coroner’s investigation revealed a number of attempts by prison guards to prevent the clarification of the circumstances of the death of 29-year-old Wayne Morrison. Employees of the correctional institution deliberately destroyed physical evidence, trying to hide the fact of exceeding their powers.

Anthony J. Thompson Jr., 17, was fatally shot by police officer.

Police responded to a call of an armed student on April 14, 2021. Officers found Thompson in a school bathroom. Police say when officers entered the bathroom; he fired at them, striking one officer, and was hit and killed by return fire from police.

About 48 hours after the shooting, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation released more information about the shooting. It cautioned that the investigation was in its preliminary stages, but added this: The shot that wounded a police officer in the confrontation was not from Thompson’s gun.

Thompson’s death outraged community. His family and activists demand authorities release video footage of the police shooting. Three of four police officers involved in the incident call for footage to be released.

In April 2021, the state attorney General stated that the use of deadly force by a police officer was justified, and no charges would be filed against him.

23-year-old Deborah A. gave birth to a stillborn child on 21 December 2020. A couple of days before she was assaulted by a police officer.

On December 10, 2020, Deborah A. and her cousin were walking in a shopping mall. At that time, Deborah was 4 months pregnant. A female police officer stopped them and asked them to put on masks. Deborah and her cousin obeyed her.

A few moments later, the police officer returned to them, grabbed Deborah’s cousin’s hand, and accused them of “disrespect” to the police. After that, the police officer grabbed Deborah’s hand, hit her several times against the wall, shook her and made them to apologize.

On the same day at night Deborah felt stomach pain, and on December 21, she gave birth to a stillborn girl. On January 18, 2021, Deborah and her lawyer filed a complaint against the police officer.

Matthew Zadok Williams, 35, was shot and killed by police officers.

He was shot and killed on 12 April 2021 while police officers were responding to a report of a man with a large knife. Police claims Williams repeatedly lunged at officers with a knife, forcing the officers to open fire on him. Neighbors who witnessed the incident claim they never saw Williams wielding a weapon. They saw Williams running toward his home and kick in one of his glass windows to escape police. Later they heard police fire three or four more shots from outside the home.

Family members state that Williams was a man who hated violence, supported the police, and never had any serious clashes with law enforcement. His previous and only clashes with the law were linked to traffic violations, they said.

The Williams family has hired a lawyer and intend to seek justice in court. They urge the county police department to release the police body’s body camera footage.

The family of a Matthew Zadok Williams fatally shot by DeKalb County police led a justice rally alongside Williams’s family and supporters. An online petition demanding a transparent and honest investigation of the circumstances of his death, thanks to the information support of the Foundation to Battle injustice, has already gained more than 37 thousand signatures.