CONTINUED TO CITE.
WAIT FOR THE INDEPENDENT
INVESTIGATION TO PROCEED.
HE GOT A REALLY IMPORTANT
QUESTION THERE, THE CHIEF OF
POLICE DID, ABOUT WHEN IT IS
APPROPRIATE TO USE YOUR GUN
ACCORDING TO THEIR POLICY AND
WHEN IT IS APPROPRIATE TO USE
YOUR TASER.
ACCORDING TO THE CHIEF, WHEN
OFFICERS ARE FACED WITH SOMEONE
EMPLOYING DEADLY FORCE, THEY ARE
AUTHORIZED TO USE DEADLY FORCE
IN RESPONSE, AN ACTIVE ASSAULT
OR SOMEBODY’S LIFE AT RISK, AND
THEY ARE AUTHORIZED TO FIRE
UNTIL, AS HE SAID, THE THREAT IS
OVER.
THIS OFFICER FIRED FOUR TIMES.
WE DO HAVE ONE OF THOSE VIDEOS.
WE ARE WORKING TO TURN IT
AROUND.
WE SHOULD HAVE IT FOR YOU
MOMENTARILY.
SO STAY WITH US FOR THAT.
BUT LET US BRING BACK CEDRIC
ALEXANDER AND REVEREND AL
SHARPTON.
REVEREND, I DOMENT WANT TO START
WITH YOU.
THE SAFETY DIRECTOR PETTUS SAID
IT’S IMPORTANT TO SEE WHAT THE
OFFICER SAW, HOW MUCH TIME HE
HAD TO ASSESS THE SITUATION, AND
WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED IF HE
DID NOT REACT AT ALL.
YOUR REACTION?
>> MY REACTION IS THAT THAT MAY
SOUND LOGICAL IF YOU ARE NOT
DEALING IN A CRIME WHERE YOU DO
NOT TRUST WHAT POLICE ARE GOING
TO SAY.
I WAS IN COLUMBUS, OHIO IN
DECEMBER DOING A EULOGY AND
PARTICIPATING IN THOSE THAT
RAISED THE QUESTIONS AROUND THE
ANDRE HILL SHOOTING RIGHT THERE
IN COLUMBUS AND WORKED THROUGH
CONGRESSWOMAN BEATTY AND
ATTORNEY BEN CRUMP.
IT’S NOT LIKE THE OHIO STATE
POLICE DEPARTMENT DID NOT HAVE
ISSUES, WHO THE COMMUNITY
DISTRUSTS.
HERE WAS ANDRE HILL GOING INTO
HIS CAR ON THE DRIVEWAY VISITING
A FRIEND.
SO WE ARE DEALING WITH PEOPLE
WHO MAY SOUND LOGICAL, BUT THE
QUESTION IS TO THE COMMUNITY,
ARE THEY BELIEVABLE?
AND THAT IS THE PROBLEM WE’RE
HAVING WITH POLICING, WHICH IS,
AGAIN, WHY I’M BEING REDUNDANT
THAT WE MUST HAVE A STANDARD
NATIONALLY RATHER THAN GOING
STATE BY STATE, DEPARTMENT BY
DEPARTMENT.
AND I AGREE WITH WHAT WAS SAID.
YOU HAVE 18,000 POLICE
DEPARTMENTS.
WE NEED TO HAVE ONE SET OF
GUIDELINES, ONE SET OF RULES AND
BUILD THE TRUST BACK IN THIS
COUNTRY BY DOING WHAT IS, I
THINK, THE ONLY APPROPRIATE
THING TO DO IS HOLD POLICE TO
LEGAL STANDARDS, AND IF THERE
ARE CRIMINAL STANDARDS, AS WAS
DONE HERE IN MINNEAPOLIS.
>> SO, NED, LET’S TALK ABOUT
ANOTHER THING THE HE GAVE.
A LOT OF PEOPLE ASKED THIS
QUESTION OF POLICE.
WHY DON’T YOU SHOOT TO INJURE OR
TO IMMOBILIZE?
WHY DO YOU SHOOT TO KILL?
AND THE POLICE CHIEF RESPONDED
BY SAYING, WE DON’T SHOOT FOR
THE LEG OR AN ARM, BECAUSE IT IS
A SMALLER TARGET.
AND WE’RE TRYING FOR ACCURACY
HERE SO WE SHOOT TOWARD CENTER
MASS, CENTER OF THE BODY.
HE SAID THEY DO THAT PAUSE THEY
DON’T WANT TO ENDANGER ANYBODY
ELSE WHO MIGHT BE WITHIN THE
VICINITY.
THAT IS A QUESTION THAT COMES UP
A LOT WHEN PEOPLE ARE TALKING
ABOUT THE USE OF FORCE.
WHY DOES IT ALWAYS HAVE TO BE
DEADLY FORCE?
WHAT DID YOU MAKE OF HIS
RESPONSE?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, LET ME SAY
THIS.
HE PARTLY ANSWERED A QUESTION.
THE OTHER PART TO THAT QUESTION
THAT I WOULD SAY WOULD BE THIS.
HAVING BEEN A TRAINED POLICE
OFFICER MYSELF.
WHEN YOU AIM FOR AN ARM OR A LEG
IN A QUICKLY EVOLVE INGING SITUA
SUCH AS WE SAW IN THAT VIDEO, HE
COULD HAVE DONE MORE HARM BY
ATTEMPTING TO SHOOT IN AN ARM
AND A LEG BUT THE THREAT COULD
HAVE STILL CONTINUED.
WE HAVE SEEN THAT OVER MANY
CASES IN OFFICER-INVOLVED
SHOOTINGS.
NOW THE TRAGEDY OF ALL OF THIS
IS THIS.
REGARDLESS WHETHER THAT CHILD
HAD BEEN SHOT IN THE LEG OR ARM
OR CENTER MASS TO STOP THE
THREAT, IT WAS A TRAGEDY.
AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WILL
BE VERY HARD FOR THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE TO TAKE THEIR EYE OFF OF.
WHAT I DON’T WANT TO DO AND NONE
OF US WANT TO DO IS MINIMIZE
WHAT HAPPENED HERE.
WE’RE STILL TALKING ABOUT A
16-YEAR-OLD.
AND WE CAN GO BACK, CITY MAYOR
AND ALL OF US GO BACK AND TALK
ABOUT WHAT THEY NEED TO DO TO
ENGAGE YOUNG PEOPLE, ET CETERA,
ET CETERA, ET CETERA.
BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS,
THERE’S SO MANY ELEMENTS IN OUR
COMMUNITIES AND CITIES ACROSS
THIS COUNTRY THAT ARE BROKEN
THAT WE CAN’T PUT THE BLAME IN
JUST ONE PLACE.
NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE TO HOLD
POLICE RESPONSIBLE, I WILL SAY
WE ALSO HAVE TO HOLD THE SAME
PEOPLE WHO HIRED THESE CHIEFS
AND THESE POLICE OFFICERS
RESPONSIBLE.
AS ELECTED OFFICIALS BECAUSE
THEY’RE IN COLUMBUS, AS YOU
HEARD REVEREND AL RELATE TO.
THEY HAVE HAD SOME OTHER ISSUES
IN THAT CITY AND HE SHALLS
AROUND MISTRUST.
WHEN YOU HAVE THAT AND IT
CONTINUES AND PEOPLE SEE IT OVER
AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN, WE
CAN’T HELP BUT SIT HERE AND BE
UPSET ABOUT ALL OF THIS BECAUSE
THERE’S NO UNIFORM PROCESS OVER
DOING ANYTHING DIFFERENT AND
THAT BECOMES THE PROBLEM IN ALL