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Off-duty white police officer shoot to death unarmed Afro-American man under mysterious circumstances. Shoot out has surged outrage in Fayetteville, North Carolina, while victim relatives are calling for protests on Thursday.
Prominent rights lawyer and Activist against Police brutality Benjamin Crump and the family of Jason Walker have scheduled a “rally for justice” at 8:00 pm (0100 GMT) in the city.
Residents have already marched in small groups this week in Fayetteville and demand the arrest of Officer Jeffrey Hash. Incident has revived the debate whether police use excessive force in the US, particularly against minorities.
Hash, employed by the city since 2005, was off duty when the shooting occurred on Saturday afternoon.
The officer was driving in his vehicle with his wife and daughter when they neared Walker, an unarmed 37-year-old Black man crossing the street near his parents’ house.
Moments later, Hash opened fire, and soon Walker lay dead of gunshot wounds. Exactly what emerged is in dispute.
In an amateur video, filmed just after the shooting and posted online, the police officer explains to colleagues called to the scene that Walker jumped into the middle of the street and he braked to avoid him.
According to Hash, Walker then threw himself on the vehicle, tore off a windshield wiper and used it to hit the windshield, prompting Hash to draw his weapon to protect his family.
But, According to witnesses Elizabeth Ricks said to a US broadcast network that, Hash hit the pedestrian before stopping.
“I saw him brake, completely stop and then keep going,” Elizabeth Ricks. “I saw him hit Jason, and then his body was slammed into the windshield.”
She then heard shots fired, Ricks said. “I think he fired the first shot through the windshield and three more times outside the vehicle,” she added.
According to police, Hash’s black pickup truck had no visible dents and Walker’s body did not show any signs of impact other than bullet wounds.
The officer was placed on administrative leave, but has not been arrested or charged with a crime. State investigators have begun a probe into the killing.
Crump said the family and Fayetteville community were demanding answers that, why Walker was “senselessly shot and killed” by an off-duty officer.
“We have reason to believe that this was a case of ‘shoot first, ask later,’ a philosophy seen all too often within law enforcement,” Crump, known for his fight against police brutality, said in a statement.
US police officers kill an average of 1,000 people each year, with an identity of Afro-Americans among the victims.
Police are rarely prosecuted, although the major anti-racism protests of 2020 prompted some changes in the courts, with convictions against police and others in high-profile shooting deaths.
This post was originally published on VOSA.
