Blog post #2: Shoot to kill.

Last month in Tottenham, London, Mark Duggan was shot and killed by police officers. His family are now speaking out saying that his death should be considered a murder and that they were uninformed about Duggan’s death until two weeks after the shooting. His family members stated that they were informed about the shooting through the media instead of being contacted by police officers. Duggan was shot in the chest after officers stopped the taxi he was riding in. Cops released misinformation saying that the accident was a shootout but no forensic evidence showed Duggan’s fingerprints on the gun found inside the taxi. A witness says that the taxi Duggan was occupying, moved from the scene of the crime then returned. His family believes the gun, which was found inside a sock, was planted in order to cover for the police officers mistake. The family lead a march to the police station to report his death as a murder and riots soon broke out. The media portrayed Duggan as a gangster who was on remand but his family insist that he had no criminal record.

Police officers shooting to kill has become somewhat of a global problem over the last 10 years. Places such as the United Kingdom, United States and Africa are showing an increase in deaths caused by police officers. The United Kingdom has reported approximately 53 deaths since 1990 due to police shootings. In Kenya during the 2008 election, police officials adopted an unofficial shoot to kill policy which killed an estimated 575 people. There has been a proposed bill in New York City which states that police officers shoot with intend to wound instead of kill. The NYPD was furious over the bill saying it was unrealistic during a spontaneous shooing. Claims-markers such as the Independent Police Complaints Commission(Wales & England), Inquest(London) and the South African Human Rights Commission(Africa) all fight for civilian rights and justice to those families who have lost someone due to the shoot to kill policy.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/sep/07/mark-duggan-family-police