Black Women Killed by Police, Part 4
- Marcella Byrd – (Age 57, 2002) 3 police officers shot and killed Byrd in January 2002 while she was brandishing a knife after reportedly stealing $155 worth of goods from a downtown grocery store on Pine Avenue while she was suffering from disturbances related to schizophrenia.
- Marlene Rivera – (Age 24, 2006) Killed by another officer who was DWI.
- Meagan Hockaday – (Age 26, 2015) Killed by officers responding to a call for a domestic dispute. Officers allege she charged at them with a knife.
- Michelle Cusseaux – (Age 50, 2014) shot and killed by officers during mental illness/health call.
- Miriam Carey – (Age 34, 2013) shot and killed after making a u-turn at a checkpoint at the White House.
- Monique Deckard – (Age 43, 2015) shot and killed after police were called to assist during a psychotic episode.
- Natasha McKenna – (Age 37, 2015) died after she was restrained with handcuffs and leg shackles and shocked four times, county records show. After the shocks were administered, she stopped breathing, was taken to a hospital and died several days later.
- Nuwnah Laroche – (Age 34, 2015) hit and killed by an officer after walking on expressway to seek help for her disabled vehicle.
- Pearlie Golden – (Age 93, 2014) fatally shot during a confrontation with police at her own home. She suffered from diminished mental capabilities. She became disgruntled when her nephew refused to relinquish the keys. In her frustration she retrieved a revolver. The nephew called police for help.
- Ralkina Jones – (Age 37, 2015) Found dead in a Cleveland jail cell while being detained after a domestic dispute. She was taken to the emergency room for medical treatment but released after two hours. She was found unresponsive the next morning.
- Raynetta Turner – (Age 43, 2015) Found dead in a Mt. Vernon jail cell after being in custody for two days. Turner alerted authorities that she was suffering from multiple medical problems, including hypertension and issues following bariatric surgery. She was taken to an area hospital and released to authorities the following day. Officers went to retrieve her for an upcoming court appearance and found her unresponsive in her cell. She was pronounced dead a short time later.
- Redel Jones – (Age 30, 2015) Shot and killed by police after robbing a pharmacy. Police contend she charged at them with a knife. Witnesses state that Jones was shot when running away.
- Rekha Kalawattie Budhai – (Age 34, 2006) Budhai was apparently in an emotional crisis. She threatened several people with knives, then refused to disarm at an officer’s command. She was shot and killed.
- Rekia Boyd – (Age 22, 2012) Shot and killed by an off-duty detective approaching a group for “being too loud.” At no point did he identify himself as a police officer. The group turned to leave and the officer fired multiple shots from a 9mm semiautomatic firearm from his car, over his shoulder, into them. One bullet hit Boyd in the back of the head and killed her. The officer claimed that he mistook someone holding a cell phone to be armed with a handgun and fired. His charges of involuntary manslaughter were dropped. Critics believe he was intentionally undercharged to avoid conviction. He resigned before he could be fired.
- Renisha McBride – (Age 19, 2013) Shot and killed after she sought help by knocking on the door of a house after a minor car accident.
- Ricky (Maya) Shawatza Hall – (Age 27, 2015) trans woman killed by FBI agents after going through NSA security gate and failing to heed police commands to stop. Hall had no criminal intent or weapons. It is suspected that she evaded police due to the drugs in the stolen car.
- Sahlah Ridgeway – (Age 32, 2016) Shot and killed after allegedly pointing a sawed off shot gun at police when confronted. Police were called to address drug dealing that was allegedly occurring on the 3rd floor stairwell of her apartment building. Ridgeway lived in apartment 10.
- Sandra Bland – (Age 28, 2015)
- Shantel Davis – (Age 23, 2013) shot and killed by an NYPD cop after a car chase in East Flatbush. Davis’ death sparked outrage among her neighbors and family, who denounced the detective who allegedly shot her, Phil Atkins, as a “renegade” cop with a history of aggressive behavior toward residents. Court records show that Atkins has been sued several times in the last decade by residents accusing him of using undue force and fabricating evidence. No one else was harmed. Davis was to appear in court on an attempted murder charge a few days later.
- Sharmel Edwards – (Age 49, 2012) A mother who worked with disabled children and had no major criminal history, was gunned down by five LVPD officers after a man called police and said a female friend took his 2001 Cadillac without permission. The man also told police his .45-caliber handgun was in the center console. When officers stopped the car, a 30-minute standoff ensued. Edwards stepped out of a vehicle with a gun in her hands, police say, and reportedly pointed the gun at officers. Edwards was shot multiple times and died at the scene. Since the shooting, several witnesses have come forward to say that Edwards didn’t point a gun at officers. One witness said Edwards had been cradling the weapon with two hands, another witness said she had her hands above her head, and a third witness told a television news station that she was holding a cellphone and not a gun.
This is so sad and tragic . I feel we are yet to see any progress . I am the husband of # 44 on the list ( Dr Jameela Yasmeen Arshad ). Kenner , LA police murdered my wife and mother of my only child while she was engaged in a act of Good Samaritan to save someone’s life . Unfortunately we didn’t have any video of the incident . Even if we had a video , I am certain , nothing will come out of it . With legal system designed to favor racist law enforcement, I met road blocks and failed in 9 courts to get any justice . With Trump appointing all the right wing judges all over the country , I don’t see anything positive happening soon at least in judicial arena . God bless those who continue to suffer and struggle to seek justice in this country . I didn’t get any .
M Kaleem Arshad MD
I had no idea how many of us were being killed. How do you plead not guilty to driving drunk? How does an officer get off using excessive force? Why are they killing the mentally ill? How does a healthy teenager in a detention home not wake up the next morning and the correctional officers have no idea how she died? People need to start being held accountable. There is definitely something wrong with in the police force nationwide and the issue is they feel they are above the law. All they have to say is that someone brandished a weapon and they are clear, but how does brandishing a knife get you shot in the stomach and then shot in the head, how can you be acquitted after doing that? Do they no longer have Tasers? Why are they tazing (spell Check) old women confined to wheelchairs to the point of death? How did this old women seriously pose a threat to healthy should be in shape men? How can being pulled over for a traffic violation result in death and not a ticket? Why is it that the military have rules of engagement but police officers don’t. Isn’t there a such thing as escalation and de-escalation of force? Why are these departments not hiring the best and brightest who also have common sense? Why are they hiring these muscle heads who are stupid and when scared cannot stay calm to evaluate the situation? America is no longer the land of opportunity but the land of death without trial and jury because these officers are the real life Judge Dredd’s and until all citizens come together this will continue on all color spectrums but especially on the darker side of that spectrum.