Police killed 103 people in August, according to Killed By Police. A Washington Post database, which specifically tracks police shootings, put that number at 82. The Guardian indicated that there were 99 fatalities.
For the anniversary of Michael Brown’s fatal encounter with police in Ferguson, Missouri, protesters took to the streets to remind people that police brutality and racial inequality are still ongoing issues. In what appeared to be a rehash of last year’s protests, police once again escalated demonstrations in Ferguson and St. Louis and a state of emergency was once again declared.
August saw several incidents where communities questioned the official police accounts of alleged self-defense. Police claimed they shot 14-year-old Radazz Hearns after he pulled out a gun and attempted to shoot them while running. An eyewitness said that the teen was just pulling his pants up. Police also argued self-defense when they shot Mansur Ball-Bey in the back. And police responding to a domestic disturbance shot and killed a man who appeared to raise his hands in surrender, though the circumstances remain murky.
Here are some of the most egregious police encounters in August:
Radazz Hearns; Trenton, New Jersey: An anonymous police source alleged that Hearns, a 14-year-old black teen, pulled out a gun and attempted to shoot officers while running. He was shot seven times in the legs and butt. Eyewitness Rhonda Tirado, who watched the case and shooting from her home, agreed that Hearns tried to flee, but that it looked like he was pulling his pants up — not grabbing a weapon. The police say a gun was recovered near the shooting 12 hours later. Hearns survived and was charged with aggravated assault on a officer.
Mansur Ball-Bey; St. Louis, MO: The 18-year-old allegedly ran out of a house as police searched for drugs and weapons when he turned and pointed a gun at them. Police say that they shot him in self-defense, but an autopsy indicated that Ball-Bey was shot in the back. The medical examiner determined that the bullet likely severed Ball-Bey’s spine and also punctured his heart, which complicates the police assertions that he continued to run after he was shot.
Roger Albrecht; San Antonio, TX: Police said that Albrecht was armed with a knife and ignored commands to drop his weapon and that he charged at them. A cellphone video showed a pair of deputies and a shirtless man standing at a loose triangle formation and the shirtless main with his hands raised above his head. Two faint gunshots are heard in the video. Neighbors later identified the man shot and killed as a former U.S. Marine to the local ABC affiliate.
Tyrone Harris Jr.; Ferguson, MO: On the anniversary of Michael Brown’s death, police shot Harris, an armed teenager, as he ran across a parking lot. Police said Harris was shooting at their unmarked car as two rival gangs exchanged fire. Police fired back from inside the car. Gunshots were exchanged until Harris was shot by all four officers. Police released grainy surveillance footage that they say shows Harris holding a gun, though it does not show him firing at the officers. Harris survived and has been charged with first degree assault on a police officer.
Christian Taylor; Arlington, TX: Taylor, a sophomore defensive defensive back at Angelo State University, was shot and killed by a police officer in training after police responded to a call of a burglary in progress at a car dealership. Video shows Taylor acting erratically and vandalizing vehicles. The officers confronted Taylor and shot him. The police trainee who shot him was later fired for handling the situation inappropriately.