Autopsy: Black Man Shot In Back By Police, Another Case Of Racism?
An autopsy on a black man showed that he was shot in the back by Utah police. According to USA Today, 22-year-old Darrien Hunt had six gun shot wounds on his body and at least four of them entered through his back, indicating that he had his back turned to officers when he was shot. Although police say that race was not a factor, Hunt’s mother feels differently.
“I don’t think anyone would have thought twice if it wasn’t someone with an afro,” said Susan Hunt.
Family of #DarrienHunt acknowledges drug abuse, death threats in official document. http://t.co/V1FMBO0Ywm pic.twitter.com/c0VqCt5Xyh
— FOX 13 NOW (@fox13now) October 29, 2014
Hunt was shot last month when police saw him walking around a mall carrying a sword. He was dressed similar to an anime character and carried a 2 ½ foot steel sword around with him, and allegedly lunged at a few mall-goers. Hunt’s family said that the sword was “decorative” — part of his costume. Those who called 911 evidently felt differently.
The autopsy of the black man shot in the back has raised questions about the incident in regard to whether or not it was justified. According to the Huffington Post, there is an ongoing investigation that is looking into exactly what happened.
“An investigation into whether the shooting was legally justified could be complete within a week, said Tim Taylor, chief deputy at the Utah County Attorney’s Office. He said the trajectory of the shots found by the autopsy indicates Hunt was turning away when they were fired, but investigators are still looking at exactly what happened during the encounter.”
Following the autopsy of the black man shot in the back, many people have been bringing up similarities in cases in other areas of the country, from the shooting of Trayvon Martin in Florida to the more recent shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. As recently reported by the Inquisitr, new information about the officer that shot Brown was leaked this week.
“Darren Wilson will not be indicted for the Mike Brown shooting and law enforcement officials have been told to prepare for massive civil unrest in Ferguson, if the grand jury claims made by [hacker group] Anonymous are accurate,” reports the Inquisitr.
It’s only a matter of time before people become outraged over Darrien Hunt’s death, especially if it is found that he was shot without legitimate cause. According to Fox 13, however, Hunt’s family has come forward with information that states that he abused drugs, had hallucinations and previously made death threats. The legal document also claims that Hunt “lunged” at officers with his sword and was shot while he was “running away” from them.
[Photo courtesy of Gallery Hip]
