AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes
This is a case that may remind you of the Trayvon Martin shooting.
On March 24, 2012, an unarmed black teen was shot seven times by police in Pasadena, California, while running away from a man claiming he and a juvenile friend had allegedly tried to rob him.
Kendrec McDade, 19, died the next day.
McDade’s death has pitted the black community in Pasadena against the police department and prompted a federal civil rights lawsuit by the McDade family alleging police bias against blacks in the city.
First, the 911 caller admitted to lying about about being robbed by two males with guns so he could get a quicker police response.
Then, the autopsy report, which was released Friday, found McDade was shot at close range by two Pasadena police officers, but no gunshot wounds to the back.
However, an attorney for McDade's family says the bullets that hit McDade's arms and one that hit his hip appear to contradict the police's assertion that none of the shots came from behind him.
McDade's parents also allege their son was left on the street for a prolonged period of time after the shooting without receiving medical attention.
By the way, McDade had no prior arrests and no gang ties. The former high school star football player was a student at Citrus College at the time of his death.
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Wow!!! Our sons are just getting killed just like that. If the young man was running away then he would have had gunshot wounds in the back. Since there are no gunshot wounds in the back, this means he would shot from the front. Unarmed and shot 7 times!! Unbelievable!! I am afraid for my grandsons!!!
Interesting however this does not appear to be an instance of blatant police misconduct....or stand your ground laws for that matter before anyone decides to try to go there.......
This caller said the individuals were armed with guns so natural police procedure is to respond with brutal overwhelming force, that is how they are taught to handle officer safety issues. So believing this person had a gun is what gave them the idea in the back of their minds too shoot, the police are trained to shoot first. The city is not at fault here as far as I can see. Had this caller not said the suspects had guns the police would have never felt the need to shoot in the first place.
So this caller is guilty on lying in a report, this is a crime, a relatively minor crime but I'm not sure what the other implications are because someone is dead but I can't imagine a manslaughter or murder case at all. To me this case sounds like a perfect sizable civil suit against the caller.
@ Cynical Citizen
Police should not be using brutal force unless they are certain the suspect has a gun. We are not allowed to shoot first and ask questions later in the military, and for good reason. We have rules of engagement. If I did in the military what these cops did I would be tried for murder. It is appaulling to me that the black male's life has so little value. This should sound like more than just a civil suit to you. It should sound like an innocent person died and serious changes need to be made to this never happens again.
well that's what they are trained to do
We have no idea the exact details of the incident and thus we can not assume that the yng blk male didn't act in a way to provoke a confrontation that police interpretted as a move to shoot at this. If they get a call about a person which says they have a gone the cops aren't gonna wait to act till the person fires. It's very easy to say things as a back seat driver to history but being in the real situation is very different and no one knows what they would do here unless you've had that experience. Reality ends up throwing all plans out of window in times like these.
Anyone who has not been in a situation like this has no idea that they would not have felt the urge to fire. Driving's easy when your in the back seat, but at the wheel it's a lot harder.
This is not the military. The military is told be fired on before firing back police are not.
Based on the fact that we have no idea about the specific actions and events that lead up to this incident there is little to nothing to suggest that race played any factor. Provide evidence to support the idea that if the individual had been white they would not have been shot.
The police most likely shot because they thought he had a damn gun, not because of some racial bias. They assume he had a gun they were told this, now of this is not true but law enforcement can not be in the habit of checking the validity of a potential victim's word before they do their duties. Yes it was a lie but how could they have known that, they can't be in the business of doubting everyone that calls in, they can't do their job with such a mindset. Most people don't lie about things like this that is why it is shocking. The cops appeared to have been manipulated here, the caller/fibber clearly realized that they could get a response they wanted easier by making stuff and preying on the officer's superman/landman complex.
While I'm not a lawyer from what we know now murder and manslaughter charges are going to be difficult a jury in my opinion is likely to see that as over charging
This will probably be a lot like O.J., they will not be able to get him criminally but they will get the whole farm in a civil suit
Pigs is pigs.
I thought it was Trayvon Martin!!! Humm We can just expect more of this as the Koch Brothers push for their Corportocracy.
Dead black kids tell no tales.....It will only get worse if we have privatised police.
No, it will only get better when you start shooting back at the crooked cops.
As long as there is no punishment for cold blooded murder, it will never change.
Privatized cops would have no immunity from prosecution, so probably would be less likely to shoot first. There butt would go to jail.
911 caller is a murderer...nothing more to say.
Come on, righties! Defend the killing!
OK, if you insist....
Why did he run up to an armed thug. He wasn't shot in the back, so he must have been running ('attacking') the poor policeman.
The police are not your friend, why do you keep thinking otherwise? Get a carry permit, and carry your own protection.
7 shots, they need to disarm the cops till they learn to shoot.
Okay, the police were advised that there was an armed and dangerous robbery suspect. Falsely advised, granted, but it's not their fault that the robbery victim gave false information. Now they have to assume that you have an armed and dangerous suspect that could open fire and harm you as well as bystanders. The immediate and proper response if he does anything but comply with police orders is to shoot to kill. The proper technique to discharge your firearm against an armed suspect is to aim for center mass and fire in three shot bursts. That is standard police training. One of the two responding officers double tapped , accounting for the seventh shot.
Now, here's the twist the local news reported here that Ed did not highlight. The victim making the false police report was an illegal immigrant and had his lawyer fighting to get him deported rather than face changes for attempted murder for filing that false report. Telling the police the kid was armed got him killed, not the color of his skin. Well, I suppose if he had not stolen the guy's backpack he might have been fine too, but there you go.
I knew you could do it!
Chris, most of us on the right don't want to jump to conclusions and make assumptions based on emotions and biased reporting...then we would be as bad as you leftists. I say let the investigation play out.
I am curious why we needed to include the victim's race when describing him...does that matter in the investigation?
Why do those on the right always claim to be so Righteous? You do not have a monopoly on common sense or not jumping to conclusion. After all I do not make assumptions on biased reporting from Fox News.
I didn't see this story on Fox News. I happen to live within ten miles or so of where it took place and saw it on the local news which is quite a bit more impartial on these matters than any cable network would be. Honestly, the politicizing of the whole mess is what bothers me. The police were acting as they were trained to act in the defense of public safety and the department immediately put their actions under review from an outside agency so any potential wrongdoing would be found and dealt with. Everything was done by the book.
The fact the family is still suing does not surprise me. They lost their son; of course they will be distraught. That doesn't change the fact that the second the victim lied to the police that it change the dynamic of the confrontation. Had he told the truth they would not have expected to get shot questioning the suspect and the young man most likely would be sitting in the county jail right now awaiting trial.
You mean how people on the right revealed that white house visitors who are pregnant are counted as two individuals thus the unborn baby is considered a person by security which the white house responded to and revealed it wasn't true.
Or how 'bout Sherly Sherrod being a an alleged racist
Or how the president supposedly took an entire naval fleet on a visit to India
Or that the women who accussed Herman of sexual harassment were mentally unstable democrat voting whores
Or when Rush claimed Obama was sending military advisers to help fight against the LRA in central afria who we were told were "just fighting the bad muslims"
Or when george bush said mission accomplished
hey the far right always thinks things through which clearly makes them superior to the left who are guilty of the same crime. Gotta love the I'm as bad as you are so I'm more moral argument.
John you're correct it's interesting that people seem more likely to condemn the police more than the lying caller. If they weren't told there was a gun I'm not sure that this would have happend. Until the gun element of this story is revealed and fully understood it's quite premature to say there were racial elements.
Relax Cynical - I know that hypocrisy works both ways on many different issues, I am not such a rigid ideologue that I can't use common sense and rational thinking to form an opinion.
When posters likes Chris make absurd statements that somehow try to paint all right wingers as trigger happy racists all while automatically forming an opinion an a specific incident without all the facts (manipulated by what the Ed Show would like you to believe) - I often like to counter with more absurdity (ALL left wingers believe that any time a minority is killed, or some other perceived injustice occurs it is racism). Do I really believe that...of course not. It is dumb jumping to conclusions, then calling someone a hypocrite for doing the exact same thing when they have a differing opinion.
I saw many, many posters in here jump to conclusions with the Trayvon Martin case in here (again manipulated a certain way)...while, again, painting right wingers as racist and trigger happy without all the facts and evidence. Now it appears that Ed is attempting to do the same thing with this case. Why does the shooting victims race matter? Would that change the investigation if he was not black?
Also, why are we not discussing the new evidence regarding George Zimmerman's injuries, especially when Ed tried so hard to make it seem that Zimmerman was not injured (like breaking down police station surveillance tape)?
Personally I don't think anything is being manipulated you and I both read the same information as everyone else and arrived at different ideas seems like the presentation isn't the biggest factor.
Now on George Zimmerman I want don't know what alleged new evidence you believe exists but I have heard nor seen anything to even suggest he was seriously injured. The bloody back of the head, you could scrape your knee and see more blood.
Cynical - my point exactly, and unless I missed something from the Ed Show, he has not reported these new details - due to the fact he wants his viewers to come to a certain conclusion.
According the LA Times (and various other media outlets) Zimmerman had a broken nose, two black eyes, and cuts on the back of his head and Trayvon Martin had cuts on knuckles consistent with punching. Now, is that reason enough to shoot someone in self-defense (getting beat up)? That is very debatable and it is difficult for me, or anyone, to answer - that is why a fair trial is needed. But as someone (Ed Show) who focused on this issue for a lengthy period of time in the name of truth and justice, you would think ALL details would be reported, thus letting viewers make an informed decision.
Dejvau! How many times i wonder across this nation are young black men killed by police or Neighborhood watchmen? What happen to asking questions first, to handcuffs?Has killing became the norm today ? I read this morning on the Care Site where a pregnant woman was kicked in the stomach by policemen. Something has to change and we in this nation have to do better. Now another family mourns the death of a child.
I am so sick of cops.
I agree with Mark...the person who made the call needs to be held accountable to whatever degree possible.
As far as defending the killing...there does not seem to be any logical defense unless the victim did something, combined with the information that they were chasing a suspect who was armed and dangerous, that would have caused them to fear for their lives. Their reaction would have been a reasonable belief of self defense. However, if there was no action on the part of the victim that would have caused it, the police are still responsible for their actions.
My prayers go out to the McDade family.
I would also have to agree that the person who made the call should be charged with Involuntary Manslaughter with that "information" the Police "believed" the suspect was armed and according to police reports when he (Mr. McDade) reached into his waistband they thought he was pulling a out a weapon
I just love the arm chair quarterbacking, that goes on. The person who put the ball in motion was the caller. The fact that ONE OF THE TWO boys did try to take something from this man is a fact so, that puts them BOTH into jeopardy right there.
the factor of guns and teens, doesn't help any responding officer make a decision if these TWO kids, are good kids making a bad choice or gang members doing what they do that involves guns.
So i am tired of the scared black kid response to everything is to run, i am tired of the black mom or daddy that get on the screen and DON'T own up to the fact that there child was involved in committing a criminal act.
and i am tired of the people acting like>> in REAL TIME<<, they wouldn't make the same choice to fire when most criminals dont pull guns from hostlers but from there waistbands.
the cop has a right to go home, and the law provides for there right to not have to accept harm.
if this kid would have not ran but walked to the police when they arrived or dropped on the ground, then any shooting is unjustified and very clear to make a call on. But this IM BLACK so i run crap is something that is a MENTALITY THAT black parents, leaders and community members need to get out of the minds of THOSE young black men, who really are innocent of criminal activity when encountered by the police.
The war is definitely on in the US. African Americans, Hispanics, Latinos, LGBT. If you are one of those and any other minority there is danger from the White society backed by the hate mongering rich i.e. Koch Brothers, Norquist and others. Remember what Hitler wanted. I think America is living proof Hitler's dream is coming true. Alan West and others of color are there to sell their souls so they can stay alive.
Anyone see Hunger Games?