Community Looks for Answers as Authorities Take Another Life
All over the news there have been reports of outrage as the people of Ferguson undergo riots and police brutality. Another instance of harsh police action has been reported in New Orleans, where a young man “shot himself” and took his own life while handcuffed in the back of a police car after 22-year-old Victor White III was detained for the possession of marijuana. Soon after, the police department of Iberia Parish county released a statement on facebook stating that Victor White III “produced a handgun and fired one round, striking himself in the back. Already, this statement raises suspicion on the legitimacy of his death. His father and the community are in an outrage, looking for answers to their questions. Similar to the instance in Ferguson, where 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot to death after an altercation with a police officer, the community is outraged by the death and is looking to take action.
Benjamin L. Crump is a Florida civil rights worker that is working closely with the white family, in addition to Michael Browns family in Ferguson. He recalls several cases of young minority men that were claimed to have taken their own lives while in police custody. He believes that a trend in police homicide is arising, and instead of facing their actions, the police department points the finger at the suspect in custody claiming that “they took their own lives”.
An autopsy report was released last week that severely contradicts the story stated in the police report. While police said that Victor shot himself in the back, the results of the autopsy report state that the bullet wound entered through the right side of his chest. Doesn’t it seem a little difficult to self-inflict an entry wound through the chest while in handcuffs? In addition to that, the report shows that no weapons were found on Mr. White, although he was thoroughly searched twice. Victor White’s father and the community still search for answers to this “houdini handcuff suicide”.
Sources:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/02/us/louisianian-seeks-answers-in-death-of-son-said-to-have-shot-himself-while-cuffed.html?ref=us&_r=0
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/14/michael-brown-ferguson-missouri-timeline/14051827/
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