This news article just really ticked me off. Julian Alexander, a newlywed killed by police after he stepped outside his home to confront suspected burglars was shot in a case of mistaken identity. Alexander died after being shot twice in the chest by a police officer who was chasing four burglary suspects early Tuesday morning. Since when do all blacks look alike?
Police Chief John Welter said the officer ran into Alexander, mistook him for one of the four juvenile suspects and shot him.”The last thing we ever want to do, No. 1, (is) take somebody’s life,” he said. “And we certainly don’t want to take the life of someone who is mistakenly believed to be involved in some criminal activity.” Really? Did these cops chasing the juveniles even know what color clothes they were wearing?
How do you expect the family to rationalize their son being killed by cops due to mistaken identity? You can’t justify this killing by any means. Is the new slogan of the Anaheim Police Department to “kill first, worry later?” Why are they withholding the name of the police man? Seems like a cover-up is underway.
According to media reports, Alexander got married last weekend and his 19-year-old wife is expecting a baby in December. Alexander’s wife said she heard the gunshots and tried to go into the yard, but the officer told her to stay inside. From the window they saw Alexander handcuffed and bleeding in the front yard. It is reprehensible that the cops handcuffed a critically wounded man. This is an outrage! What is equally unsettling is that this could have happened to any law-abiding, hardworking, decent black man. My thoughts and prayers go out to this family.
Filed under: Anaheim Police Department, Julian Alexander, Mistaken Identity
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