Victims of Police Brutality on October 18th, 2015
On October 18th, 2015, Four People were Killed by Police Officers in the U.S.
Every year, tragic incidents of individuals being killed by the police continue to occur in the United States. The statistics reveal a sobering reality that demands our attention and action. While specific figures can vary from year to year, data consistently demonstrates that a significant number of people lose their lives in encounters with law enforcement. The statistics underscore the urgency of addressing issues related to police violence, accountability, and reform. These numbers represent lives lost and families forever impacted, reinforcing the critical need for comprehensive efforts to ensure the safety, dignity, and justice of all individuals in their interactions with the police. On October 18, 2015, four people were killed by police officers in the U.S. Corey Jones, Silviano Ortiz, Danny Leroy Hammond and Krikor Ekizian.
Corey Jones
Corey Jones, 31
Black Male
Shot and killed in Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Danny Leroy
Hammond
Danny Leroy Hammond, 50
White Male
Killed in St Cloud, MN​
Krikor Ekizian
Krikor Ekizian, 28
White Male
Killed in Fresno, CA
Silviano Ortiz
Silviano Ortiz, 37
Hispanic Male
Killed in Harlingen, TX
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30
Asian people
5
Native Hawaiian and
Pacific Islander
people
Police killed 1,108 people in the U.S. in 2015
306
Black people
14
Native American people
196
Hispanic people
545
White people
2
Asian people
0
Native Hawaiian and
Pacific Islander
people
Police killed 72 people in Florida in 2015
34
Black people
0
Native American people
10
Hispanic people
26
White people
CONVICTIONS
Corey Jones
Corey Jones (February 3, 1984 – October 18, 2015) was shot to death by police officer Nouman K. Raja, while waiting for a tow truck by his disabled car, in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.[1][2][3] On October 18, 2015, Corey Jones, 31, local church and community musician, was driving home from work in the early hours, when his car broke down at the exit ramp off I-95 in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Then police officer Nouman Raja aggressively approach him in an unmarked vehicle, plainclothes and within seconds Raja fired six shots at Jones, striking him three times and killed him. Raja was convicted and found guilty; is currently serving a 25 year sentence.
​
Raja, who was in plainclothes and in an unmarked white van, approached Jones, who was waiting by his disabled vehicle on a highway exit ramp.[4] Within seconds, Raja fired six shots at Jones, striking him three times.[5] After the shooting, Raja falsely claimed to investigators that he had identified himself as a police officer and shot Jones in self-defense; both assertions were disproved by an audio recording of the fatal shooting.[4] On June 1, 2016, Raja was charged with manslaughter by culpable negligence and attempted first-degree murder with a firearm. He was convicted of the charges on March 7, 2019,[6] following an eight-day jury trial.[4] Raja was sentenced to 25 years in prison on April 25, 2019.[5]
​
Born
Corey Lamar Jones
February 3, 1984
Boynton Beach, Florida, U.S.
Died
October 18, 2015 (aged 31)
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, U.S.
Cause of death
Manslaughter (gunshot wounds)
​
Nationality
American
Education
University of Akron
Occupation(s)
Housing Authority Inspector
Assistant Property Manager
Musician
Daunte Wright
On April 11, 2021, Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old black American man, was fatally shot in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, by police officer Kimberly Potter during a traffic stop and attempted arrest for an outstanding warrant. After a brief struggle with officers, Potter shot Wright in the chest once at close range. Wright then drove off a short distance until his vehicle collided with another and hit a concrete barrier. An officer administered CPR to Wright; paramedics were unable to revive him, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Potter said she meant to use her service Taser, shouting "Taser! Taser! Taser!" just before firing her service pistol instead.
​
Location
Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, U.S.
Coordinates
45°04′09.3″N 93°20′27.9″W
Date
April 11, 2021; 2 years ago
c. 2:00 p.m. CST (19:00 UTC)
Attack type
Homicide by shooting, manslaughter, police brutality
Deaths
Daunte Demetrius Wright
Injured
Alayna Albrecht-Payton
Perpetrator
Kimberly Ann Potter[1]
Verdict
Guilty on both counts
Convictions
-
First-degree manslaughter predicated on reckless use/handling of a firearm
-
Second-degree manslaughter
Trial
MN v. Potter 27-CR-21-7460[2]
Sentence
2 years in prison (paroled after 1+ 1⁄3 years)
Litigation
Civil lawsuits settled by Brooklyn Center:
-
Wright's family for $3.25 million
-
Albrecht-Payton for $350,000
Atatiana Jefferson
Atatiana Koquice Jefferson, a 28-year-old woman, was fatally shot inside her home by a police officer in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, in the early morning of October 12, 2019.[1][2] Police arrived at her home after a neighbor called a non-emergency number, stating that Jefferson's front door was open.[2] Police body camera footage showed officers walking outside the home with flashlights for a few minutes then one officer yells, "Put your hands up! Show me your hands!", while discharging his weapon through a window.[2] Police found a handgun near Jefferson's body, which according to her eight-year-old nephew, she was pointing toward the window before being shot.[3][2][4] On October 14, 2019, Officer Aaron Dean, the shooter, resigned from the Fort Worth Police Department and was arrested on a murder charge.[5][6] On December 20, 2019, Dean was indicted for murder.[7][8] Jefferson was black and the officer who shot her is white, prompting news outlets to compare Jefferson's shooting to the September 2018 murder of Botham Jean in nearby Dallas.[1][5][9][10][11]
Location
Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
Date
October 12, 2019; 3 years ago
c. 2:30 a.m. (MDT)
Attack type
Homicide by shooting, police brutality, manslaughter
Filmed by
Police body-worn camera
Weapon
Handgun
Victim
Atatiana Koquice Jefferson, aged 28
Perpetrator
Aaron Dean
Verdict
Guilty on the lesser included offense of manslaughter
Convictions
Manslaughter
Charges
Murder
-
Manslaughter (lesser included offense)
Sentence
11 years, 10 months, and 12 days in prison
On December 15, 2022, Dean was found guilty on the lesser offense of manslaughter.[12] He was sentenced to 11 years, 10 months, and 12 days of imprisonment.[13]
Convictions
-
Federal convictions:
-
Chauvin, Kueng, Lane, Thao:
-
Deprivation of rights under color of law resulting in death
-
Kueng, Thao:
-
Willfully failing to intervene to stop use of unreasonable force[1]
-
State convictions:
-
Chauvin:
-
Second-degree murder,
-
third-degree murder, and
-
second-degree manslaughter[2][3][4]
-
Lane, Kueng, and Thao:
-
Aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter[a][5][6][7]
Trial
-
MN v. Chauvin 27-CR-20-12646
-
MN v. Thao 27-CR-20-12949
Sentence
-
Federal sentences:
-
Chauvin:
-
21 years in prison[8][9]
-
Kueng:
-
3 years in prison[10]
-
Lane:
-
2+
1⁄2 years in prison[11]
-
Thao:
-
3+
1⁄2 years in prison[10]
-
State sentences:
-
Chauvin:
-
22+
1⁄2 years in prison
-
Kueng:
-
3+
1⁄2 years in prison
-
Lane:
-
3 years in prison[12]
-
Thao:
-
4+
3⁄4 years in prison [13]
George Floyd
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old black American man, was murdered in Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old white police officer.[14] Floyd had been arrested after a store clerk alleged that he made a purchase using a counterfeit $20 bill.[15] Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for over nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and lying face-down in a street.[16][17][18] Two other police officers, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, assisted Chauvin in restraining Floyd. Lane had also pointed a gun at Floyd's head before Floyd was handcuffed.[19] A fourth police officer, Tou Thao, prevented bystanders from intervening.[20]
Location
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Coordinates
44.93433°N 93.26244°W
Date
May 25, 2020; 3 years ago
c. 8:01–9:25 pm CDT (UTC−5)
Attack type
Murder by suffocation, police brutality
Victim
George Perry Floyd Jr.
Perpetrators
-
Derek Michael Chauvin
-
J. Alexander Kueng
-
Thomas Kiernan Lane
-
Tou Thao
Verdict
-
Federal charges:
-
Chauvin: Pleaded guilty
-
Lane, Kueng, Thao: Guilty on all counts
-
State charges:
-
Chauvin: Guilty on all counts
-
Lane and Kueng: Pleaded guilty
-
Thao: Guilty
Botham Shem Jean
On the night of September 6, 2018, 26-year-old accountant Botham Jean was murdered in Dallas, Texas by off-duty Dallas Police Department patrol officer Amber Guyger, who entered Jean's apartment and fatally shot him. Guyger, who said that she had entered Jean's apartment believing it was her own and believed Jean to be a burglar,[1][2] was initially charged with manslaughter. The absence of a murder charge led to protests and accusations of racial bias because Jean—an unarmed black man—was killed in his own home by a white off-duty officer who had apparently disregarded police protocols. On November 30, 2018, Guyger was indicted on a charge of murder.[3] On October 1, 2019, she was found guilty of murder, and was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment the following day.[4] The ruling was upheld on appeal in 2021.[5]
​
Location
Dallas, Texas, United States
Coordinates
32.769592°N 96.795944°W
Date
September 6, 2018; 5 years ago
Attack type
Murder by shooting
Victim
Botham Shem Jean
Perpetrator
Amber Renée Guyger
Verdict
Guilty
Convictions
Murder
Charges
Manslaughter (upgraded to murder)
Sentence
10 years in prison
William Chapman
The shooting of William L. Chapman II, a black 18-year-old, on April 22, 2015, in Portsmouth, Virginia, when Chapman was shot and killed in a Wal-Mart parking lot by Portsmouth Police Officer Stephen D. Rankin. Rankin had been responding to a report of suspected shoplifting, and engaged in a physical struggle with Chapman, who instigated the altercation, while trying to arrest him. The shooting occurred approximately four years after the death of Kirill Denyakin, who died after being shot by Rankin in 2011.[1][2]
​
Date
April 22, 2015
Time
7:30 a.m.
Location
Portsmouth, Virginia, U.S.
Participants
William Chapman (death)
Stephen D. Rankin (shooter)
Deaths
William Chapman
Charges
First degree murder
Convictions
Voluntary manslaughter
In September 2015, Rankin was indicted on the charge of first-degree murder in Chapman's death, and was found guilty by a jury of voluntary manslaughter on August 4, 2016.
Oscar Grant
Oscar Grant III was a 22-year-old African-American man who was killed in the early morning hours of New Year's Day 2009 by BART Police Officer Johannes Mehserle in Oakland, California. Responding to reports of a fight on a crowded Bay Area Rapid Transit train returning from San Francisco, BART Police officers detained Grant and several other passengers on the platform at the Fruitvale BART Station. BART officer Anthony Pirone kneed Grant in the head and forced Grant to lie face down on the platform. Mehserle drew his pistol and shot Grant. Grant was rushed to Highland Hospital in Oakland and pronounced dead later that day. The events were captured on bystanders’ mobile phones. Owners disseminated their footage to media outlets and to various websites where it went viral. Both protests and riots took place in the following days.
​
Location
Oakland, California, U.S.
Date
January 1, 2009; 14 years ago
2:15 a.m. PST (10:15 UTC)
Attack type
Homicide, manslaughter, police killing, shooting
Victim
Oscar Grant III, aged 22
Perpetrator
Johannes Mehserle
Verdict
-
Guilty of involuntary manslaughter and gun enhancement
-
Not guilty of second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter
-
Gun enhancement conviction overturned by trial judge
Convictions
Involuntary manslaughter
Sentence
14 months and 30 days in prison
Charges
Second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, involuntary manslaughter, and gun enhancement
Litigation
$50 million (originally $25 million) lawsuit by John Burris against BART on behalf of Grant's mother and daughter was settled for $2.8 million; Grant's father's lawsuit was denied
​
Ahmaud Arbery
On February 23, 2020, Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old black man, was murdered during a racially motivated hate crime[b] while jogging in Satilla Shores, a neighborhood near Brunswick in Glynn County, Georgia.[1][2][3][4][5][9] Three white men, who would later claim to police that they assumed he was a burglar,[10][2][1][11] pursued Arbery in their trucks for several minutes, using the vehicles to block his path as he tried to run away.[12] Two of the men, Travis McMichael and his father, Gregory McMichael, were armed in one vehicle. Their neighbor, William "Roddie" Bryan, was in another vehicle. After overtaking Arbery, Travis McMichael exited his truck, pointing his weapon at Arbery. Arbery approached McMichael and a physical altercation ensued, resulting in McMichael fatally shooting Arbery.[3][4] Bryan recorded this confrontation and Arbery's murder on his cell phone.
Location
Satilla Shores
unincorporated Glynn County, Georgia, U.S.
Coordinates
31°07′27″N 81°33′22″W
Date
February 23, 2020
c. 1:15 p.m.
Attack type
Murder, shooting, hate crime
Victim
Ahmaud Marquez Arbery
Perpetrators
-
Travis James McMichael
-
Gregory Johns McMichael
-
William Roderick Bryan, Jr.
Motive
Anti-black racism[1][2][3][4][5]
Verdict
All perpetrators guilty on all counts in federal trial
State trial:
Travis McMichael
Guilty on all charges
Gregory McMichael
Not guilty of malice murder
Guilty on remaining charges
William Bryan
Guilty of felony murder (3 counts), aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment (1 count each)
Charges
State charges:
-
Malice murder
-
Felony murder (4 counts)
-
Aggravated assault (2 counts)
-
False imprisonment
-
Criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment[6]
District Attorney Jackie Johnson:
-
Violating the oath of a public officer
-
Obstruction of justice
Federal charges: -
Interference with rights (a hate crime) (1 count each)
-
Attempted kidnapping (1 count each)
-
Using firearm during a crime of violence (1 count each for McMichaels)[7]
Sentence
Travis McMichael
Life imprisonment without the possibility of parole plus 10 years[8] (federal); plus 20 years (state)
Gregory McMichael
Life imprisonment without the possibility of parole plus 7 years[8] (federal); plus 20 years (state)
William Bryan
35 years in prison (federal)
Life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 30 years[a] (state)