SARATOGA SPRINGS, Utah (AP) — A woman has criticized police in the Utah County city of Saratoga Springs over the fatal shooting of her 22-year-old son, saying she believes the outcome would have been different had he not been black.
Susan Hunt of Saratoga Springs said her family wants answers about what happened leading up to Wednesday’s shooting by officers of her son, Darrien Hunt.
On Saturday afternoon, law enforcement authorities issued a statement saying that the man lunged at officers with a sword.
The Deseret News reports (http://bit.ly/XfgtTx) that police say they were called about 9:40 a.m. Wednesday to investigate a “suspicious” man walking near businesses along Redwood Road while carrying a “Samurai-type sword.”
“When the officers made contact with Mr. Hunt, he brandished the sword and lunged toward the officers with the sword, at which time Mr. Hunt was shot,” Utah County Chief Deputy Attorney Tim Taylor said in a statement.
Before the statement was issued, Susan Hunt told the Deseret News: “They killed my son because he’s black. No white boy with a little sword would they shoot while he’s running away.
“Those stupid cops thought they had to murder over a toy. This is my baby. This is my family. And they ruined my family.”
The city on Friday issued a statement saying the shooting was under investigation by the county attorney’s office.
“We sympathize with Mr. Hunt’s family during this difficult time,” the statement says. “Any claim that our officers’ actions were a result of Mr. Hunt’s race is completely unfounded and speculative. Our officers responded to a call for service and addressed the situation that was presented to them.”
Based on the limited information the family has been given, Susan Hunt said, it believes a shot was fired by police during the confrontation and multiple shots were fired after he ran away.
Susan Hunt said her son was carrying a Katana, a souvenir sword bought from an Asian gift store that has a rounded edge, not a blade.
His mother is white, and his father is black, the Standard-Examiner of Ogden reported. Susan Hunt had just returned to Utah after separation from her husband to start a new life for the family.
She said she and her family fled from an abusive relationship and her son was still trying to process many emotions.
“My son is a tender heart who would not hurt anybody,” she said. “My son is a beautiful, bright-eyed, intelligent boy.”
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The man’s death was tragic and apparently unnecessary.
Nevertheless, the message here is : DO NOT EVER MESS WITH COPS.
I’m not saying it’s right. I wish I did not have to say it.
But it’s real. And it is important.
Don’t mess with cops
judging by the profile of the ‘officer’ on the left in that photo – oh yeah, this department inspires all kinds of confidence…
thug culture has become deeply ingrained in the police departments across the united states.
Is there anything in the article that suggests he “messed with cops” other than the cops’ own description of his actions? Personally, I do not automatically assume that any narrative released by a police department has much truth behind it.
And the reason you don’t “mess with cops” is that we let them get away with murder, often literally.
In most states, the law lets police shoot to kill if they feel like their life or someone else’s in in danger of death or serious bodily injury. Since an inordinate percentage of Americans seem to be afraid of black men, period, its no wonder so many get shot. And then when the case comes to court, you get a bunch of jurors who think black men are scary and they put themselves in the cops shoes and justify the shooting.
This is why Zimmerman is still free to terrorize the streets of Florida, and why the cop in Ferguson is unlikely to be convicted, and why black parents still have to give their sons the talk. As long as cops know they won’t be punished for shooting black men, they will keep shooting them.
Look at the belly fat on that guy! I think cops, as public servants, should at least be conscious about what they are putting in their bodies. Core belly fat and swollen jowls like that are excellent predictors of heart disease. Such perverse body shape sends the scary message that the person doesn’t pay attention very well generally. Moreover, should something like a foot pursuit come up, there’s no way that guy’s going to be going strong at the 1,000 meter mark. Rather than fire such tubs, however, police might have a kinder, gentler approach such as assignment to bike patrol until the officer’s BMI is under, say, 28, which isn’t even great.