South Carolina officer shoots unarmed teen

[Luiz 4,253]

(CNN)You think you've heard this story before. A young, unarmed man is gunned down by police, black activists are outraged -- the only difference with this scenario is that the young man is not black, he's white.

Nineteen-year-old Zachary Hammond was on a date July 26 when he was fatally shot twice by a police officer while at the back parking lot of a Hardee's fast food restaurant in Seneca, a city 40 miles from Greenville, near the North Carolina border, according to Eric Bland, the attorney representing the teen's family.

The Seneca Police Department said the officer was conducting a d--g investigation and shot Hammond in self-defense.

"He was a uniformed officer, he was in a marked vehicle, was out of his vehicle on foot approaching the suspect vehicle -- weapon drawn given it was a narcotics type violation," Seneca Police Chief John Covington said to CNN affiliate WHNS.

A small amount of marijuana was found in the front passenger's compartment in Hammond's car.

"He was a 19-year-old, 121-pound kid killed basically for a joint," Bland said.

Tori Morton, who was on the date with Hammond, was arrested on charges of simple possession of marijuana. It was an amount, Bland said, that did not warrant such excessive police force.

"This is about the use of overreaching deadly force in situations where it is not required," Bland said.

Covington said the officer was attempting to arrest Hammond when the teen accelerated the car and drove toward the officer, prompting the officer to shoot in self-defense.

The Oconee County Coroner's Office performed an autopsy on Tuesday and confirmed that Hammond was shot twice and had wounds consistent with a .45 caliber handgun that was used by the Seneca Police. Hammond suffered one gunshot wound to the collar bone-shoulder region and one wound to the chest, which was fatal, according to the report. The autopsy ruled that Hammond's death was a homicide.

The report did not state if Hammond's gunshot wounds were consistent with his vehicle moving at the time of the shooting.

Bland said Hammond's wounds indicate the vehicle was not moving, and the teen was shot on the rear of his shoulder and on the side of his chest. The Hammond family commissioned an independent autopsy, which found the teen's gunshot wounds indicated he was shot from behind and at close range.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/06/us/seneca-teen-dead-police-shooting/index.html

[monketsharona 90,138]

The world in which we live is disgusting... That's sad..

[SleepingSun 1,413]

Give a human power and he will abuse it.

[squeala 875]

(CNN) You think you've heard this story before. A young, unarmed man is gunned down by police, black activists are outraged -- the only difference with this scenario is that the young man is not black, he's white.

what a disgusting paragraph

[2007 5,291]

Another day another slay (literally).

whats going on in the U.S.?? Y'all talking about the gun control must-have law between the GP when the government (aka the police) doesn't know how to use THEIR guns.

May that kid RIP.

[PrinceGaga 7,644]

Yet another story about U.S police doing something sh**ty. I made a comment on another one not three days ago saying that every week I read a new sick U.S police story. Here's another one. Great... just great.

Poor kid. 

[LaMaisonGaga 23,884]

me rn:

 

[ShockPop 7,747]

what a disgusting paragraph

it's accurate, though.

[monsterdreams 1,529]

Ffs

i read that in Norway, less than 5 people have been fatally shot by police in 9 years.

whats going on USA? 

[Laceface 2,964]

Ffs

i read that in Norway, less than 5 people have been fatally shot by police in 9 years.

whats going on USA? 

In our countries comparison too - https://www.pinterest.com/pin/369295238170833514/

[nikola 4,342]

This is getting stupid......what is going on with US police......just cause they have uniforms and guns does not mean they can do what they want and take someones life away......

[Luc 4,776]

If you really believe you have to shoot someone, at least do it in the legs. And if you really like your gun, simply threaten to use it and don't actually use it. Using a gun i the last resort and should only be used when threatening to do something, pepperspray and a stick wouldn't/didn't work.

[Goosey 3,017]

If you really believe you have to shoot someone, at least do it in the legs.

Then you go to jail for shooting people when you don't have to. The only reason to shoot someone is if they need to be killed. 

[theMonster5 74]

Let's wait for the dashcam video to make the final judgement. Was he driving the car toward the officer is the main question.

[theMonster5 74]

If you really believe you have to shoot someone, at least do it in the legs. And if you really like your gun, simply threaten to use it and don't actually use it. Using a gun i the last resort and should only be used when threatening to do something, pepperspray and a stick wouldn't/didn't work.

Don't forgot the Taser gun too. But first they should learn Gracie Jiu-Jitsu to subdue the criminals before they escalate to baton, pepper spray, Taser gun then handgun.