The arguably trigger-happy American police have sent shock waves through the system yet again, as they shot a man dead after running his car off the road.
The graphic footage of an undercover cop shooting a suspected armed robber in the head was shown live on television, as a police helicopter captured the grim ending of a high speed chase.
After forcing the pursued car off the road using a ‘pit manoeuvre’, the policeman proceeded to jump out of his vehicle and shoot the victim through his windscreen at close range.
The police began to tail the suspect at around noon (local time) yesterday in Phoenix, Arizona, after a raid had been reported at a city centre Credit Union West branch.
The chase lasted 45 minutes, during which time two other suspects abandoned the car and were subsequently taken into custody.
All persons involved are yet to be named.
According to the Mirror, ‘the shooting, chase and the robbery all remain under investigation by several agencies, including local police, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI.’
With the American police taking so much heat over their eagerness to produce and use their firearms, is this incident just another tragedy in an increasingly long list of seemingly preventable deaths?
Our thoughts are with the victim’s family and friends.
A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.