While Derek Chauvin’s case was fresh in the mind of people, the jury reading in a Minneapolis courthouse, the shackling of the police cop, the jubilation about what many perceived as justice for George Floyd, blood spilled on America’s streets.
Even then plenty of blood was shed at the behest of law enforcement.
At least six individuals were fatally shot by police throughout the United States in the 24 hours following Tuesday’s decision in Chauvin’s murder trial. The list of the deceased is upsetting:
A sixteen-year-old female from Columbus, Ohio.
An oft-arrested guy in Escondido, California.
A 42-year-old guy in eastern North Carolina.
In some of the cases, deaths sparked requests for justice. People believe that the incident reflects urgent radical changes in the system. For some, the killings serve as a horrific example of the complex and risky happenings faced every day by law enforcement.
An unnamed individual in San Antonio.
Another guy, killed in the same city within hours of the first.
A 31-year-old guy in central Massachusetts.
The circumstances surrounding each death differ widely. Some occurred as police prosecuted major offenses. According to police, some of the individuals were armed with a pistol, knife, or metal pole. One man asserted that he had a device, which he threatened to detonate. For some instances, little is learned of the victims’ final moments.
The fatal incidents are only a sample of the thousands of interactions involving American police officers and people each day, the majority of which result in a peaceful resolution. Uneventful interactions between the police and the people, on the other hand, are not a concern.
On Tuesday afternoon, when the country heard the judge read the decision against
Chauvin, a cop hundreds of miles away was listening over his police car radio in a Columbus, Ohio suburb. A colleague had fired and killed a young girl minutes before.
Simultaneously with the news of Chauvin’s conviction reaching Columbus via radio, two officers in San Antonio confronted a man on a bus. Although the manner in which the encounter began is unknown, police believe the unidentified individual was armed. It culminated in officers firing deadly shots.
Later that evening, a man killed an individual working in a shed outside his own home in the same neighborhood. As officers approached, the gunman began firing at them. They opened fire, mortally wounding him. His identity has not been published by authorities.
The next morning, as residents of Minneapolis awoke to a city boarded up in anticipation of protests that never materialized, a 42-year-old Black man in eastern North Carolina was shot and killed as deputy sheriffs attempted to issue search and arrest warrants for drugs.
Phet Gouvonvong, 31, allegedly called 911 and appeared to have an explosive that he threatened to detonate. Officers discovered him on the street; he was wearing body armor and was carrying a bag and what seemed to be a gun, according to police.
Around midnight, authorities claim, Gouvonvong approached police and was shot by a cop.
