This is as bad as it gets.
A North Carolina state trooper shot and killed 29-year-old Daniel Harris — who was not only unarmed, but deaf and mute — just feet from his home, over a speeding violation. According to early reports from neighbors who witnessed the shooting this past Thursday night, Harris was shot and killed “almost immediately” after exiting his vehicle.
He appeared to be trying to communicate with the officer via sign language.
“They should’ve de-escalated and been trained to realize that this is an entirely different situation,” neighbor Mark Barringer said. “You’re pulling someone over who is deaf, they are handicapped. To me, what happened is totally unacceptable.”
Police claim they attempted to pull Harris over for speeding, but he continued driving home instead of pulling over. Whether Harris fully understood what was happening, since he could not have heard the sirens, is unclear. His family, including his siblings, are also hearing impaired and could often be seen communicating with each other via sign language in the neighborhood.
An outrageous 752 people have been killed by American police so far this year. While some of the cases posed genuine risks to law enforcement, this one is hard to justify. Beyond being unarmed, deaf and mute, Daniel Harris appears to have been a rather small, thin man. Opening fire could not have been the only option the officer had. What threat did Harris pose? Was a Taser or pepper spray used? Could the officer truly not subdue Harris on his own?
If reports from neighbors are accurate, it doesn’t appear the officer even tried, but pretty much shot and killed Harris mere seconds after he got out of the car.
In a widely shared fundraiser from the Harris family, they wrote:
“Our family is raising funds to cover his memorial and cremation expenses (details pending). Any monies left over will be used to set up a foundation in his name to educate and provide law enforcement proper training on how to confront Deaf people. Subsequently, we hope to change the DMV registration system by requiring states to set up a ‘DEAF’ alert to appear when law enforcement look up a car’s license plate. With this change, Daniel will be a hero in our Deaf community.”
Daniel’s hearing impairment is no excuse for what happened. While his family is correct — police should absolutely be better trained, and license plates could and should provide smarter alerts to first responders — this case boils down to the “shoot first, ask questions later” training police are receiving all over the country. Virtually any other option the officer could’ve considered was better than what he chose in this case, but here we are with another avoidable casualty of police violence.
Daniel Harris should be alive with a speeding ticket, but instead his family is raising funds for his cremation.
License Plates should have a sticker or special plate for hearing impaired to give a signal to police officers of unusual circumstances that the deaf community presents. I do sign (ASL) as I do have some contact with the hearing impaired. They usually carry a card that indicated that they are hearing impaired and present that to the cop when pulled over. I guess getting out of the car is considered aggressive.
What do you expect from a ‘shoot first and ask questions after’ mentality that now permeates police training. Sad for both the victim and the officer. A real tragedy.
And 2 scum/vermin gave you thumbs down. Must be CopFucks themselves or have hero CopFuck relatives that are out there to protect their union benefits.
Homer – I am against every new reg. Govt is big enough. We do not need any fucking regs re putting stickers on license plates. The deaf can create and install their own stickers without need of govt intervention.
Kokoda – blow me. Not everyone believes in big govt, or more laws.
And neither do I, you nitwit.
Kokoda – then you must be too stupid to understand that Homer got thumbs down because he is suggesting more regs, not because of anything else.
You opened your piehole and called those folks scum/vermin. If you were against big govt you would see their point. But nope, you got to be a dick and flap your cock holster.
Homer was not being attacked. He is a very big boy and can look after himself. Next time engage your frigging brain cells.
Homer,
I hand sign (ASL) as well, but when I’m on the road it usually involves a single digit or two.
Otherwise, what good will it do to have an insignia on a ‘license plate’ indicating a hearing/speaking problem, when the cops are willfully blind?
Just another victim of the S.S.P.
STATE STORMTROOPER POLICE. The NAZI’s would be proud.
America. Home to the “free” in a police state. You are completely “free” to do as ordered. Or else.
It is not sad for the officer.
He fuckin’ killed somebody over a speeding ticket! If he is that scared doing shakedowns for money he should instead get a job at IRS. At least then when he is fucking over somebody for money it will be by mail and phone calls.
Those cops should spend rest of their lives in jail tossing salad for Bubba. But they won’t. Fuck NO! No they will go before the judge, say they feared for their lives and walk away free men.
Not just free men, paid for life, free men.
We pay their salaries, benefits, retirement, equipment. We’ll pay the family’s legal settlement too.
Obviously the importance of this murder will depend entirely on the color of the people involved.
Funny, lots of things escaped this lightweight reporter. “Didn’t understand what was happening” doesn’t quite cover a high speed chase, spinning the car out of control, and charging the officer, now does it?
I’m fully prepared to agree starfcker, but where’s the link to support your claim?
Google the name. Tons of stories. Bits of info in each. Do some reading. It’s there
Ace. Here is most of it in one read. There is bodycam footage. We will get to see it at some point.
Where is “The White Lives Matter” group?
He is busy at work to support the FSA.
Depressing….just got back from afternoon chores and I find this. AND,
” Any monies left over will be used to set up a foundation in his name to educate and provide law enforcement proper training on how to confront Deaf people.”
Yeah, righttttt. That will work. Like the police give fuck. They and their union will laugh about that training.
Officer Jermaine Saunders shot Harris and as usual, is on administrative leave. A bit more info here:
http://thefreethoughtproject.com/cop-shoots-kills-unarmed-deaf-mute-man
I guess they protected and served the shit out of him! Officer friendly will probably get a medal!
Cops should be required to carry only one bullet and keep it in their shirt pocket. This would require the cops to engage their brain (yeah I know Bwahahahaha!) before engaging their gun.
Or, their guns should have two barrels…….one that points at the perp and one that points at them.
Or one is his Rifle and one is his Gun…
(Way off-topic I-S, but, about a week or so ago, my daughter calls me from Portland. She has a cat and fleas in house. I told her about Diatomaceous Earth, thanks to you. She says: “Thanks, Mr. I-S”).
I’m glad it helped. Dust all the outdoor areas kitty likes to lay around and that will help too. I’m fixin’ to suggest DE to a person of two on the “WHAT I”VE LEARNED THROUGH GARDENING” thread too!
I think it’s important to set up “depens” fund for our men in blue. Clearly, many are likely to lose sphincter control whenever that see someone get out of a car, and we wouldn’t want them to shit all over the upholstery of those expensive vehicles we bought for them. If we equipped all of these guys with diapers, that concern would be much diminished. We need amateurs, deputies, responsible citizens policing their own communities, not imported thugs who lack the guts to live in a more obvious criminal manner, the people we call ” professionals”. WTF! I suppose we’re just a country of overfed cowards. Depressing.
I’m not defending the cop, but who gets out of their car in this day and age?
I was always told to just stay in your car and wait for them to come to you. That’s what I do and so far, I’m not shot very often.
I also don’t lead the cop on a chase and I don’t spin out/get tapped out by the cop.
hard to like cops after reading this crap. thugs is right.
The people who need to hang for this tragedy, besides the chickenshit cop, are the politicians who created the traffic laws and ‘bestowed’ the power to murder people in the name of the state onto the same.
Until politicians bleed for their transgressions against us, they’ll continue to bleed us.
Every time someone dies for a malum prohibitum crime, a politician should join the victim.
Just my two cents.
Cop probably thought Mr. Harris was flashing gang signs or something.
Looks like he was a douche.
Maybe not a kill-worthy offense, but it doesn’t help.
—-
Daniel Kevin Harris: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
Here’s what you need to know:
1. A Neighbor Says Harris Might Have Been Trying to Use Sign Language When the Trooper Shot Him
A neighbor told WCNC that Harris’ car “spun out of control” and he “was shot almost immediately after exiting the vehicle.”
“They say Harris was likely trying to communicate with the trooper using sign language before he was killed,” said WCNC of neighbors.
Another neighbor provided a similar account to a different North Carolina television station. Some also questioned whether Harris could hear the officer’s sirens.
“Maybe that’s the reason he got shot because I heard the cop asked him to stop and he didn’t because apparently he couldn’t hear,” a neighbor told WCCB. However, the shooting is still under investigation.
A You Caring site started in Harris’ memory says, “Our family is raising funds to cover his memorial and cremation expenses…Any monies left over will be used to set up a foundation in his name to educate and provide law enforcement proper training on how to confront Deaf people. Subsequently, we hope to change the DMV registration system by requiring states to set up a ‘DEAF’ alert to appear when law enforcement look up a car’s license plate. With this change, Daniel will be a hero in our Deaf community.”
2. The Trooper Tried to Pulled Harris Over For a Speeding Violation & an ‘Altercation Ensued,’ Authorities Say
The shooting unfolded at 6:15 p.m. on August 18 when the trooper attempted to stop Harris for speeding, ABC says.
Harris was killed just feet from his home, said The New York Daily News.
The Charlotte Observer said a State Highway Patrol statement claims: “While on Seven Oaks Drive, the driver exited his vehicle and an encounter took place between the driver and the trooper causing a shot to be fired.” Harris died at the scene.
2. Harris Was Described as Deaf & Mute & Was Unarmed
daniel k. harris, daniel harris, daniel kevin harris
Daniel Harris. (Facebook)
Harris, 25, was “deaf and mute” and used sign language to communicate, The Daily News said.
WCCB said Harris’ family confirmed he was hearing impaired; the station says he was unarmed.
The Daily News says Harris “continued driving home instead of pulling over,” according to police, adding: “Whether Harris fully understood what was happening, since he could not have heard the sirens, is unclear.”
Harris then led the trooper on a chase, which ended with both vehicles damaged, said WCNC.
CBS News said it’s unclear whether Trooper Saunders knew that Harris was hearing impaired.
4. Harris’ Brother, Sam, & Other Family Members Are Also Hearing Impaired
Kevin Harris
Kevin’s brother, Sam Harris. (Facebook/Sam Harris)
WCCB communicated with Harris’ family by writing through the phone because other family members are hearing impaired.
The station says Harris was the father of a 4-year-old boy.
On Facebook, Kevin’s brother, Sam, says he has studied sign language/English interpretation and mathematics at Gallaudet University and attended the Colorado school for the deaf and the blind.
CBS quoted a neighbor as saying “it seems like a very peaceful family.”
5. Harris Has a History of Resisting Arrest, Reports Say
Harris was previously found guilty in Connecticut of resisting an officer in 2010, said The Charlotte Observer.
In 2010, in Florida, an interpreter provided sign language for him at a court hearing in which he was “found not guilty of misdemeanor larceny and had a charge of misdemeanor resisting property recovery dismissed,” the newspaper said.
Trooper Saunders is on administrative leave, CBS said.
Cops shoot at the blink of an eye . Here’s a cop in S.C. that shot a man getting his wallet .
To be fair, deaf people are really annoying and should wear a big orange vest that says, I’M DEAF.
No, I’m not kidding. This kid was killed because of all the stupid inclusion rules, AND the rise of the American Police State. It’s not the cops fault, he was only put in this uncompromising position.
I’m hard of hearing, but I know better than to get agitated trying to explain something to a cop. Darwin’s Law in effect.
The States final solution, shoot them dead during a traffic stop….
How does one kill a person with sign language?