Sep 13 2024 70 mins
Welcome back to this brand-new, investigative, in-depth, exposé exclusively featured on Light 'Em Up.
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Tonight, we examine the officer involved shooting of Michael Jones — by our very own Akron Police Department in the early morning hours of August 17th outside of a Duke and Duchess gas station, in Akron, Ohio. The 15 second unnecessary struggle took Jones' life and re-opened deep wounds between the people and the police in Akron.
Jones, a 54-year-old black man, was shot at point blank range and killed by an APD Officer during an altercation inside a U-Haul Rental Truck.
In a Light 'Em Up Exclusive Visual Investigation we've analyzed the body worn camera (BWC) of the officer involved shooting — frame by frame, meticulously we've rolled back the footage of the fatal traffic stop to examine the causes and consequences of the "officer created jeopardy" in this specific case.
With Miami Dolphins Wide Receiver Tyreek Hill in the news for being dragged out of his car in Miami Gardens, FL — this fact pattern put the issue of excessive force and officer created jeopardy at the forefront of countless discussions.
Our learning objectives for this intense episode — which may very well save your life or that of a loved one — will be to drill down on:
— The fact-pattern in the killing of Michael Jones
— Reasonable, Articulable, Suspicion (RAS)
— and introduce to you the concept of "Officer Induced Jeopardy".
In the realm of criminal law and law enforcement, the term Reasonable, Articulable, Suspicion holds significant importance. It serves as a critical legal standard that determines whether law enforcement officers have sufficient grounds to justify various actions, such as: stopping individuals, conducting searches or making detentions. If you are under arrest, you must be told of the charge you are in custody for and immediately read your Miranda rights.
Understanding RAS is crucial for both law enforcement officials and individuals to ensure a balanced approach to justice.
To help you better to understand we'll delve into the:
— Concept of RAS
— Its legal significance
— and its impact on various aspect of law enforcement practices.
As case studies we'll discuss 2 cases regarding the concept of "Officer Induced or Officer Created Jeopardy".
"Officer Induced Jeopardy" involves situations in which police officers unwisely put themselves in danger and then use deadly force to protect themselves. It can include the actions of officers who, without sound justification, willingly fail to take advantage of available tactical concepts like distance, cover and concealment, willingly abandon tactically advantageous positions by moving into disadvantaged positions without justification — or act precipitously on their own without waiting for available assistance from backup.
Grave tactical errors such as:
— walking into the path of a moving car
— reaching into the window
— jumping onto a moving vehicle
— then using lethal force to defend against the danger — as appears to have been the case in the killing of Michael Jones.
We'll interrogate the "final frame" approach found in Graham v Connor where the U.S. Supreme Court says, "courts should not second guess the "split second" judgements officers make in the heat of the moment".
Vehicle stops happen more than 50K times a day on average across America — by far the most common interaction between the police and the public, which disproportionately impacts drivers of color.