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Baltimore Police

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Another day, another story about cops who think shooting their guns is an appropriate response to any perceived aggression coming from a Black person.

According to WBAL-TV, 18-year-old Donnell Rochester was shot and killed by Baltimore police officers after they got out of their patrol cars to stop the car Rochester was driving because of an open warrant out against him related to an armed carjacking case.

From WBAL:

While police body camera video showed officers firing on the car, it’s unclear whether Rochester drove toward officers, as police said he did, or what led up to the officers firing their weapons. Rochester died from his injuries at a hospital.

While details on the shooting are scarce, it sounds eerily similar to the 2006 killing of Sean Bell by NYC police officers who also thought firing a hail of bullets into a moving car was preferable to—oh, I don’t know—moving the hell out of the way.

Whatever the facts in Rochester’s case are, his family remains unconvinced that the shooting was necessary and they, along with a crowd of protesters, are demanding justice.

“He’s supposed to still be here, and it’s not fair,” said Markai Jackson, Rochester’s aunt.

Shanika Jackson, Rochester’s cousin, echoed similar sentiments.

“It’s innocent until you’re proven guilty,” she said. “Don’t forget that. So, you can’t even charge him with anything because he wasn’t even proven guilty of anything. He shouldn’t have died like that, period.”

Meanwhile, the Baltimore Police Department has placed two officers involved in the shooting, Robert Mauri and Connor Murray, on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, which is being conducted by the Maryland Attorney General’s Office’s Independent Investigations Division.

“The Baltimore Police Department was aware of the scheduled protest this morning at our headquarters and will continue to support individuals’ rights to peacefully protest in Baltimore,” the department said in a statement. “All of the officers involved have been assigned to administrative duties pending the outcome of the investigation. At this time, the investigation is ongoing.”

It’s unclear if Rochester was armed with anything besides the car he was driving at the time of the shooting.

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