8 Unarmed Black Males Other Than Trayvon Martin Who Were Recently Killed

Kimani Gray On his way home from a birthday party, 16-year-old Kimani Gray was shot to death by two plainclothes officers in Brooklyn, N.Y. , on March 9, 2013. The men responsible for his death, police Sgt. Mourad Mourad and Officer Jovaniel Cordova, claim that Gray was armed and drew a .38 caliber pistol. During the initial crime-scene investigation, no weapon was found at the scene or on Gray's body. In addition, close friends and family members of the teen have said that he was not known to ever carry a gun. Sergeant Mourad and Officer Jovaniel Cordova are presently on paid administrative leave while the NYPD continues to investigate this case. Ramarley Graham Upon leaving a local store in his neighborhood, Ramarley Graham, 18, was pursued by undercover narcotics officers on his way home in the Bronx, N.Y. on Feb. 2, 2012. Without a warrant, Officer Richard Haste aggressively entered the young man's home and fatally shot Graham in the bathroom. Haste claimed that Ramarley was reaching for a gun. Investigations would later prove that Graham was unarmed. Haste was charged with manslaughter. Unfortunately, he was acquitted in August 2013, and continues to work for the NYPD. Sean Bell On Nov. 25, 2006, Sean Bell crashed into an unmarked police van after leaving his bachelor party in Queens, New York. Bell did not make it to his wedding scheduled for later that day. Three police officers exited the van and killed Bell in a hail of 50 bullets. A Queens County grand jury indicted Detectives Michael Oliver and Gescard F. Isnora with first and second-degree manslaughter. A third officer, Detective Marc Cooper, was charged with reckless endangerment. All three detectives were found not guilty and were acquitted. Jonathan Ferrell On Sept. 14, 2013, Jonathan Ferrell was gunned down by police officers while he was seeking their assistance after surviving an automobile accident in Charlotte, N.C. The police officer responsible for Ferrell's death, Randall Kerrick, was not indicted on his only charge of involuntary manslaughter. Ferrell, a 24-year-old former FAMU football player, moved to Charlotte a year prior to his death in hopes of starting a life with his fiancée. Oscar Grant On New Year's Day 2009, 22-year-old Oscar Grant was shot in the back by Oakland Transit Police Officer Johannes Mehserle. Police officers were responding to reports of a fight aboard a BART Train. Grant and other onlookers were detained, laying face down and restrained by more than one officer. Mehserle drew his gun and shot Grant once in the back. The shot proved fatal as Grant died the next morning. The callous nature of the murder, the conflicting police reports and the two-year jail sentence for Grant's killer sparked outrage and led to protests in Oakland. The 2013 film “Fruitvale Station” was based on this incident. Darius Simmons Darius Simmons, 13, was taking out the trash in front of his home when he was confronted by his neighbor John Spooner in Milwaukee, Wis. on May 31, 2013. Spooner pulled his gun and fatally shot Darius in the chest. Patricia Larry, the boy's mother, witnessed the murder. On July 22, 2013, Spooner was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Ernest Hoskins Ernest Hoskins, 21, was shot by his boss, Chris Reynolds, during a lunch meeting at Reynold's Lonoke County, Ark., home on Nov. 9, 2012. Hoskins was the only Black person among the four Raynell Industries employees attending the meeting. In a chilling statement delivered by Ben Crump, Hoskins' attorney, he reported the circumstances surrounding Hoskins' murder. “For whatever reason, he pointed the gun at the only African-American guy at the table,” Crump told theGrio.com, adding that two weeks later, Reynolds had still not been arrested. In July 2013, Reynolds, 34, pleaded guilty to manslaughter. He was given a 10-year sentence with the possibility of serving only two to three years, based on good behavior. Hoskins is survived by his widow, Nikki, his mother and two sisters. The Hoskins were looking forward to renewing their wedding vows on Nov. 17, 2012. Kendrec McDade Kendrec McDade, a 19-year-old college student, was found to be unarmed only after he was shot and killed by officers responding to a robbery on March 24, 2012 in Pasadena, California. Officers Jeffrey Newlen and Mathew Griffin responded to a 911 call from Oscar Corillo, who falsely claimed that two armed men stole his backpack. Shortly after arriving to the scene, the officers saw McDade and began to pursue him. One officer fired at him, the other officer assumed McDade began the fire and shot at him as well. After the teen fell to the ground, the officers handcuffed him. When paramedics arrived, McDade was barely conscious. He died 90 minutes later at Huntington Memorial Hospital. Video surveillance camera footage later proved that he was not responsible for the theft in question. Upon investigation of the crime scene, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Justice System Integrity Division concluded that Newlen and Griffin did not act unlawfully when they shot and killed McDade. No criminal charges were filed. Sources: http://newsone.com http://www.cnn.com http://www.theroot.com http://atlantablackstar.com http://www.thv11.com http://thegrio.com http://justiceforsean.org/ http://dariussimmons.org/

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