On Thursday night, a deaf man was fatally shot by a state trooper in North Carolina.
According to State Highway Patrol, the incident unfolded in Charlotte, after Daniel Harris failed to stop when Officer Jermaine Saunders attempted to pull him over for speeding.
After a short pursuit, Harris got out of his car and an “encounter took place between the driver and the trooper causing a shot to be fired,” stated a news release.
“It was surreal, you just don’t expect to see something like that,” said witness Mark Barringe. “When the gunshot went off, really, it just was scary.”
“If the officer had known that he was deaf, it would have ended differently,” said Sam Harris, the victim’s brother, who is also deaf. “And he would still be around with family, and life would be going on. He’d be happy.”
Department of Public Safety Secretary Frank L. Perry released the following statement:
Any loss of life regardless of the circumstances is truly a tragic and sad event for all involved. Let us all refrain from making assumptions or drawing conclusions prior to the internal and independent reviews. While the Highway Patrol, the State Bureau of investigation and the District Attorney’s Office conduct their respective reviews, we are keeping all those affected by this tragedy in our thoughts and prayers.
As is customary, Sanders has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.
Audria Bridges, a special agent in charge of the State Bureau of Investigation’s Southern Piedmont district, noted that is was unlikely the trooper was aware Harris was deaf.
Howard Rosenblum, CEO of the National Association of the Deaf, had the following to say:
There have been too many incidents with tragic consequences between law enforcement officers and deaf people. Too often, officers make verbal orders for individuals to comply and act aggressively when those individuals do not comply. Deaf individuals often are unable to understand the verbal commands of law enforcement officers, and this has led to many physical altercations between law enforcement officers and deaf individuals over the years, with some resulting in death.
The NAD urges all law enforcement agencies to provide intensive training to its officers on recognizing when individuals may be deaf or hard of hearing or may have disabilities, and develop appropriate techniques in all possible situations on how to deal with such individuals. Further, there should be law enforcement officers who are trained to communicate in American Sign Language available to assist in all situations involving deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Trainings of law enforcement officers should include people who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as people with disabilities.
This is a sensitive case, as tensions between the police and the citizens they serve continue to escalate, though one thing is unmistakably clear: The response to Harris’ death has been almost nonexistent. It begs the question of whether circumstances would be different had he not been white.
When a black man is shot by the police, there are nationwide riots, businesses are looted and freeways are blocked by racially-motivated protesters. When the victim is white, it’s crickets from the mainstream media and groups like Black Lives Matter.
H/T: Breaking 911