Last Night
Last Night
Several shots rang out in a neighborhood startling the residents. Seconds later, a man rushed around a corner carrying the shooting victim. Setting the victim down, the man started CPR. More than one resident placed a call to 911. The police were the first to arrive at the scene, followed by an ambulance. Unfortunately, despite the man's efforts, the victim didn't make it. Yellow tape went up and detectives arrived, followed by crime scene investigators.
That all sounds pretty standard, doesn't it? About what you would expect to happen following a shooting. Right?
But what if I told the story this way:
At 9:19 last night (8/26/15), shots were fired in a north Philadelphia neighborhood. Scant seconds later, a black man rushed around a corner, yelling for help while carrying the victim of the shooting - a 21-year-old black man. He put the younger man on the sidewalk and began CPR. Multiple 911 calls were made by the residents and police arrived by 9:20.
The three uniformed police officers (two black and one white) who arrived did... zip... zilch... nada... absolutely nothing as the man continued to do CPR and plead for help. Neither did they do anything to keep several gathering bystanders away from the scene. A number of people had approached the victim and the man trying to save him. Only after additional officers arrived did the first three officers seem to realize they had a job to do. Not until then did one of the original officers put on a latex glove and deign to approach and check the victim's pulse. For several minutes those officers had done nothing to help the man or the victim whose life he was trying to save.
Despite the man's heroic efforts, the 21-year-old died. Overwrought with grief, the man stood and slowly backed away, melting into the surrounding crowd that had developed. The police neither spoke to him, nor even looked at him, as he - the only witness to the shooting - simply walked away.
At 9:38 the ambulance finally arrived. Finally, some yellow tape was put up to "protect" the scene and "preserve" evidence. Eighteen minutes after the first officers had arrived; after several bystanders had trod through the scene. A sheet was eventually tossed over the body.
Detectives arrived and took a look at the body. The sheet was removed and the body was turned over to expose five entry wounds: one in the shoulder, two in the back, one in the buttock, and one in the head. Detective "looked" around, saw the bystanders, at least one family member of the victim off the side, and on-lookers in house windows. Yet not a single person was questioned and non-police personnel were ignoring the yellow tape and still walking through the scene as they pleased.
Over two hours after the shooting, when the coroner's wagon arrived to take the body away, the attendants removed the bloody sheet, unceremoniously picked up the body by the belt and shirt collar, and literally tossed it carelessly atop an open body bag. Detectives still had not asked anyone any questions, nor knocked on any doors.
Somehow, I have little faith that this case will be solved.
This entry was originally posted at http://dhamphir.dreamwidth.org/271534.html.
Several shots rang out in a neighborhood startling the residents. Seconds later, a man rushed around a corner carrying the shooting victim. Setting the victim down, the man started CPR. More than one resident placed a call to 911. The police were the first to arrive at the scene, followed by an ambulance. Unfortunately, despite the man's efforts, the victim didn't make it. Yellow tape went up and detectives arrived, followed by crime scene investigators.
That all sounds pretty standard, doesn't it? About what you would expect to happen following a shooting. Right?
But what if I told the story this way:
At 9:19 last night (8/26/15), shots were fired in a north Philadelphia neighborhood. Scant seconds later, a black man rushed around a corner, yelling for help while carrying the victim of the shooting - a 21-year-old black man. He put the younger man on the sidewalk and began CPR. Multiple 911 calls were made by the residents and police arrived by 9:20.
The three uniformed police officers (two black and one white) who arrived did... zip... zilch... nada... absolutely nothing as the man continued to do CPR and plead for help. Neither did they do anything to keep several gathering bystanders away from the scene. A number of people had approached the victim and the man trying to save him. Only after additional officers arrived did the first three officers seem to realize they had a job to do. Not until then did one of the original officers put on a latex glove and deign to approach and check the victim's pulse. For several minutes those officers had done nothing to help the man or the victim whose life he was trying to save.
Despite the man's heroic efforts, the 21-year-old died. Overwrought with grief, the man stood and slowly backed away, melting into the surrounding crowd that had developed. The police neither spoke to him, nor even looked at him, as he - the only witness to the shooting - simply walked away.
At 9:38 the ambulance finally arrived. Finally, some yellow tape was put up to "protect" the scene and "preserve" evidence. Eighteen minutes after the first officers had arrived; after several bystanders had trod through the scene. A sheet was eventually tossed over the body.
Detectives arrived and took a look at the body. The sheet was removed and the body was turned over to expose five entry wounds: one in the shoulder, two in the back, one in the buttock, and one in the head. Detective "looked" around, saw the bystanders, at least one family member of the victim off the side, and on-lookers in house windows. Yet not a single person was questioned and non-police personnel were ignoring the yellow tape and still walking through the scene as they pleased.
Over two hours after the shooting, when the coroner's wagon arrived to take the body away, the attendants removed the bloody sheet, unceremoniously picked up the body by the belt and shirt collar, and literally tossed it carelessly atop an open body bag. Detectives still had not asked anyone any questions, nor knocked on any doors.
Somehow, I have little faith that this case will be solved.
This entry was originally posted at http://dhamphir.dreamwidth.org/271534.html.