A Florida deputy shooting is making headline news today. Cedric Bartee , an unarmed black man, was shot by a white deputy, and people are outraged. According to The Huffington Post , 28-year-old Bartee stole a car, but when he was approached by police, he reportedly had his hands up. He was shot anyway — by a white police officer — and he was critically injured.
“I ask everyone to not rush to judgment and allow the investigation to be completed,” Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said at a news conference in Orlando.
The Florida deputy shooting is reminiscent of the Michael Brown shooting, which has people all over the country concerned. The incident involving Bartee happened outside an apartment complex, and a few witnesses said that they actually saw Mr. Bartee with his hands up at the time of the shooting.
“After locating a stolen car at an apartment complex just after midnight on Monday, Sergeant Robert McCarthy fired three shots, one of which hit Cedric Bartee,” reports The Huffington Post .
“The driver continued to make movements inside the vehicle. At that point, additional commands were given to comply that was not done. The deputy feared for his safety, that he was going to be harmed,” said Sheriff’s Office Capt. Angelo Nieves.
According to UPI , Bartee has a criminal record that dates back to 2002. Another man in the car was uninjured, and taken into custody. Meanwhile Bartee needed surgery, and is currently listed in serious but stable condition.
The Florida deputy involved in the shooting is not facing any kind of suspension at this time. It sounds like the sheriff is being very fair in this case, but many expect there to be more protests if the officer isn’t held accountable for shooting an unarmed man of color.
Since Bartee didn’t die, he will more than likely be giving his own account of what happened that night. No one can say the same for Michael Brown, who was shot dead in Ferguson, Missouri, after allegedly having his hands up, or Eric Garner, who was choked to death by NYPD. In both of those cases, the officers did not face punishment.
Since some people feel that these officers have not been properly held accountable for their actions, riots, protests, and demonstrations have broken out across the country. As previously reported by the Inquisitr , there has been looting involved in many of these protests, which many feel have gotten out of control.
[Photo courtesy of Dave Conner from Inverness, Scotland via Wikimedia Commons ]
