US police shoots 2 black men for ALLEGEDLY trying to steal beer in Olympia

[Supersonic 49,376]

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) -- Authorities say two men who were shot by a police officer investigating a report of an attempt to steal beer from a grocery store are expected to survive.

The officer reported that he was being assaulted with a skateboard early Wednesday before the shooting in Olympia that left a 21-year-old man critically injured and a 24-year-old man in stable condition.

Authorities say the men who were shot were not armed with guns.

Brad Watkins, chief deputy of the Thurston County Sheriff's Department, says two skateboards were recovered from the scene and an investigation will likely take three to six weeks.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Two stepbrothers suspected of trying to steal beer from a grocery store were not armed with guns when they were shot Thursday by a police officer who confronted them in Washington state's capital city.

The officer reported that he was being assaulted with a skateboard before the shooting in Olympia that left one man critically injured and another in stable condition, authorities said.

The shooting, which is being investigated by a team of detectives from several agencies, prompted some brief protests.

"We are committed to helping our community work through this difficult circumstance and help us understand this tragic event," Olympia Police Chief Ronnie Roberts said at news conference.

Officer Ryan Donald was among those who responded around 1 a.m. to a call from a Safeway store, Roberts said. Employees said two men tried to steal beer and then threw the alcohol at workers who confronted the pair.

Officers split up to search for the men. Donald encountered two men with skateboards who fit witnesses' descriptions, and moments later, he radioed in that shots had been fired, the police chief said.

In radio calls released by police, Donald calls dispatchers once he spots the men, and again to report that he fired shots.

"I believe one of them is hit, both of them are running," Donald said.

He tells dispatchers that one of the men "assaulted me with his skateboard."

"I tried to grab his friend," Donald said. "They're very aggressive, just so you know."

He says he has one man, then both, at gunpoint and asks for help.

Seconds later, he shouts, "Shots fired! One down," and asks for more backup units. He then says the second man has been shot.

The police chief said Donald wasn't injured but an officer "has the right to defend himself" if a suspect wields an object that could be used as a deadly weapon.

Donald, 35, who is on administrative leave pending the investigation, has been with the department for just over three years. No residents have filed complaints against him, and he was recently recognized by the agency for being proactive on investigations, Roberts said. He worked previously as an Army police officer, the chief said.

The two men were identified as Andre Thompson, 24, and Bryson Chaplin, 21, both of Olympia.

They are black, and Donald is white, but Roberts said, "There's no indication to me that race was a factor in this case at all."

Authorities said Chaplin was in critical condition but expected to survive.

The shooting follows a string of high-profile killings of unarmed black men by police, including Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner in New York City, which set off weeks of protests and a national "Black Lives Matter" movement that has gained momentum across the country.

Olympia Mayor Stephen H. Buxbaum called for calm in the community.

"It deeply saddens me that we have two young people in the hospital as a result of an altercation with an officer of the law," he said. "Let's come together to support their needs, the officer's needs, the needs of the families and our community's needs. Let's not be reactive."

Merritt Long, a retired chairman of the state's liquor control board, was one of several residents to attend the news conference Thursday.

"Does the punishment fit the crime?" he asked afterward. "Given the seeming epidemic of this happening not only here but in our country, it makes you pause and wonder what's going on."

source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/21/officer-ryan-donald-shoots-two-black-men-beer_n_7400600.html

[Phoenix 17,395]

Shooting at people 'cause of beer?  

 

[BULATIO 1,635]

racism ? 

[monsterdreams 1,529]

I have no words...

[TimisaMonster 31,073]

There's nothing else I can say...eh eh...eh eh

[The Child 18,997]

Again ?  When will they stop ? 

[Luiz 4,253]

i've hung out with skaters and skateboards if swung hard enough can do a lot of damage.

2 dudes with skateboards attacking one police officer? hes going to shoot you. he could have tazed one i guess but i'm not going to get all SJW on this yet  

[AM98GJ 3,086]

How can that police officer even try to justify his actions, it's so blindingly obvious that if this incident had involved white guys nobody would've been shot 

[T3ARS 4,132]

If it is true they that were trying to steal beer, shame on them. However, the cop was wrong in his reaction to these two unarmed men. He says that he was being assaulted with a skateboard but a warning shot and/or call for back-up should have sufficed, but I need more information on this.

Hopefully a video will appear. 

[HausOfNena 1,712]

I don't know what to say...  

[Guest]

This is starting to feel normal, but I don't want it to. These are human lives, for love's sake.

[Azor Ahai 18,861]

Another day in the land of freedom, justice and equality.

[PartySick 172,545]

"This for the hatred in you
This is for that place of darkness they have placed into you
This is for the early coffins of those discriminated
Or racially profiled, I can look you in the eye
And make a vow that I'll never make another assumption
That you'll never be nothin' to me, even if you did the opposite
I'll still run with pleasure
Doin' you the favor of cuttin' through the evil
Kendrick Lamar like God-lover of all people, bang"

I feel like PARTYNAUSEOUS couldn't have leaked at a better time tbh.

[HighwayGuy 1,498]

If the police have no evidence to justify shooting someone then they should be arrested and charged just like any other person would, cops should never be allowed to break the law if there is no need for it

 

Obama needs to sort this out and take this much more seriously 

[bayonse 6,525]

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