North Carolina: State trooper shoots dead an unarmed deaf mute father who was trying to communicate via sign language after being pulled over for a speeding violation

[TomSea]

State trooper shoots dead an unarmed deaf mute father who was trying to communicate via sign language after being pulled over for a speeding violation

    Daniel Kevin Harris, 29, was killed just feet from his home in Charlotte
    He was stopped for a speeding violation on Interstate 485 on Thursday
    Witnesses say trooper shot him 'almost immediately after he exited car'
    Police say that when Harris got out of his car, 'an encounter' took place that led to shots being fired
    A police report identified Harris as hearing and speech impaired, but did not give further details about his impairments



A North Carolina state trooper shot dead a deaf and mute man who was apparently trying to communicate using sign language after he was pulled over for a speeding violation.

Daniel Kevin Harris, 29, a father to a four-year-old boy, was killed just feet from his home in Charlotte by trooper Jermaine Saunders on Thursday evening.

Police say Saunders tried to pull Harris over for a speeding violation on Interstate 485 at around 6.15pm, but the driver led authorities on a brief pursuit before stopping.

Officials said that's when the driver got out of his car and an encounter took place between the driver and the trooper, causing a shot to be fired. Harris died at the scene.

But witnesses said Harris – who was unarmed – was shot ‘almost immediately’ after he exited his vehicle, WCNC reports.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3753378/North-Carolina-state-trooper-shoots-dead-deaf-mute-man.html#ixzz4I7GfZssH
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[Jazzhead]

A lot of cops sure seem afraid to do their jobs.   Maybe we all need to step back and think about the fear that goes through a cop when making a stop like this.   

[Oceander]

Unless there are some very strange facts that aren't being reported, this is outrageous.  If a cop is so scared he shoots someone under the circumstances described, then he shouldn't be a cop.  As it is, he'll now be prosecuted, so he's ruined at least two lives.

[sinkspur]

These goddamned cops are trigger happy.  I have cop nephews and they are just dumbfounded at how quickly guns are drawn in traffic stops.  They've been officers for 20 years and, between them, have drawn weapons three times.

If a cop is afraid of a deaf mute, maybe he shouldn't have a friggin' gun.

[Oceander]

These goddamned cops are trigger happy.  I have cop nephews and they are just dumbfounded at how quickly guns are drawn in traffic stops.  They've been officers for 20 years and, between them, have drawn weapons three times.

If a cop is afraid of a deaf mute, maybe he shouldn't have a friggin' gun.

He shouldn't be a friggin' cop.

[sinkspur]

http://www.wcnc.com/news/crime/nchp-trooper-involved-in-deadly-shooting/301939728

Man fatally shot by trooper after chase in N. Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A man killed by a state trooper in northeast Charlotte after a traffic stop escalated into a chase is deaf, according to neighbors. 

Investigators say Trooper Jermaine Saunders attempted to pull over a Volvo on 485 for speeding. However, they say the driver, Daniel Kevin Harris, did not stop.

The chase continued off 485, to Rocky River Road exit, eventually ending at Seven Oaks Drive with both vehicles damaged.

"I was here in my driveway and I saw the highway patrol car come through and it was smoking really bad," said Mark Barringer. "About 10 seconds later, I heard one gunshot."

Barringer says when he went to take a closer look, he saw Harris in the middle of the street. He died just a few feet from his front door. Several neighbors have put flowers near where Harris took his final breaths.

"It was surreal, you just don't expect to see something like that," said Barringer. "When the gunshot went off, it was scary."

Detectives say Trooper Saunders and Harris got into "an encounter" before he fired his weapon. Neighbors say Harris' car spun out of control and was shot almost immediately after exiting the vehicle.

They say Harris was likely trying to communicate with the trooper using sign language before he was killed.

"They should've deescalated and been trained to realize that this is an entirely different situation, you're pulling someone over who is deaf, they are handicapped," said Barringer.  "To me, what happened is totally unacceptable."

Trooper Saunders has been placed on administrative leave.

The SBI is leading the investigation. They say they will review dash and body cam videos from Highway Patrol and CMPD. 

A YouCaring page has been set up to assist the family in handling his wake and memorial arrangements.

[sinkspur]

The poor guy couldn't hear the siren.  So, when he sees the lights, he stops, gets out of the car and is shot by "Jermaine."

"Jermaine" should be somebody's boy friend a year from now.

[Oceander]

I want more facts before this story gets blown out of proportion.  I realize that since he's white, there won't be any protests, or any real mention in the MSM at all, but still, the situation merits more facts.

[mystery-ak]

These goddamned cops are trigger happy.  I have cop nephews and they are just dumbfounded at how quickly guns are drawn in traffic stops.  They've been officers for 20 years and, between them, have drawn weapons three times.

If a cop is afraid of a deaf mute, maybe he shouldn't have a friggin' gun.

Wait until all the facts are in before you start bashing a cop.....this is just the first version and you know good and well the story will change several times before we get all the facts.

[Oceander]

Wait until all the facts are in before you start bashing a cop.....this is just the first version and you know good and well the story will change several times before we get all the facts.

With all due respect, unless there are some very weird facts, this cop shot too fast and without adequate reason.

[ABX]

Sad story all around. I'm curious about the dash cam, but until then, it just seems the bar is lowered for what constitutes a threat where lethal force can be applied.

[sinkspur]

Wait until all the facts are in before you start bashing a cop.....this is just the first version and you know good and well the story will change several times before we get all the facts.

Really?  A deaf mute is shot the second he gets out of his car?  There are witnesses.

There are rotten, lazy, trigger-happy cops. And they should be in prison when they do something like this.

[sinkspur]

I'm guessing Jermaine was mad after being led on a brief pursuit and was ready for a beat down. Being clueless about deaf people, he took some of Harris' movements as "threatening" (although Harris looks like he weighs all of 140 pounds) and just shot him.

I'm steamed over this. 

Do Deaf Lives Matter?

[geronl]

Unless there are some very strange facts that aren't being reported, this is outrageous.  If a cop is so scared he shoots someone under the circumstances described, then he shouldn't be a cop.  As it is, he'll now be prosecuted, so he's ruined at least two lives.

I agree.

[Frank Cannon]

This cop should get the full measure of punishment he deserves.......but isn't hearing a major component to safe driving? Hearing what is going on around you or even if your car is malfunctioning?

It is illegal in many states to drive with earphones in. Being deaf would be the same thing.

[bigheadfred]

I'm guessing Jermaine was mad after being led on a brief pursuit and was ready for a beat down. Being clueless about deaf people, he took some of Harris' movements as "threatening" (although Harris looks like he weighs all of 140 pounds) and just shot him.

I'm steamed over this. 

Do Deaf Lives Matter?

How does the cop know dude is deaf? Anyways Harris apparently was unarmed so it seems bad. Probably is bad. No use getting mad now. There is still time.

[sinkspur]

How does the cop know dude is deaf? Anyways Harris apparently was unarmed so it seems bad. Probably is bad. No use getting mad now. There is still time.

He doesn't.  Why in hell would he shoot a guy who just gets out of his car? 

[bigheadfred]

He doesn't.  Why in hell would he shoot a guy who just gets out of his car?

From start to finish I wouldn't know. There seems to be a larger portion of police officers with a JB mentality. I used to be more vocal in my opposition to any officials that were abusing the public trust. Not so much anymore. I'm psychotic enough as it is.

[Oceander]

This cop should get the full measure of punishment he deserves.......but isn't hearing a major component to safe driving? Hearing what is going on around you or even if your car is malfunctioning?

It is illegal in many states to drive with earphones in. Being deaf would be the same thing.

Have to disagree re. deafness and illegality.  It's one thing to make it illegal to intentionally handicap yourself; it's another thing entirely to deny a huge segment of the population the ability to move around freely.  At most, I could support a requirement that somebody who is deaf outfit their car with a device that would give a visual cue if a siren is detected.  To make it accurate, I would have a corresponding requirement that all emergency vehicles be equipped with a transponder that would trigger that device whenever it was within a certain range and the siren was turned on.

Further, there are quite a number of new cars on the road that have so much interior noise insulation that it's almost impossible to hear a siren, even for people with good hearing.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

This cop should get the full measure of punishment he deserves.......but isn't hearing a major component to safe driving? Hearing what is going on around you or even if your car is malfunctioning?

It is illegal in many states to drive with earphones in. Being deaf would be the same thing.

Was going to say that I had no idea that driving while deaf was legal. The cop will get his day in court.

[Oceander]

Was going to say that I had no idea that driving while deaf was legal. The cop will get his day in court.

Why shouldn't it be?  It's certainly not the same as driving while blind.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

Why shouldn't it be?  It's certainly not the same as driving while blind.

Audio cues are crucial while driving. I was almost sideswiped the other day on the highway by a lady who would have hit me had she not heard my horn. Horns are a safety device.

All vehicles on the road, including busses and trolleys (here in Boston we still have trolleys) are legally required to have horns.

[mountaineer]

News Reports On “Unarmed Deaf Man” Daniel Harris Are Complete Bull—-
By Officer Blue On August 23, 2016
Blue Lives Matter

Charlotte, North Carolina – News media outlets are all reporting on the “unarmed deaf man,” Daniel Harris who was reportedly shot for using sign language. Sadly, most of those outlets are reporting based on the same information, and that information is either misleading or a complete fabrication.

What We Think We Know

On August 18th, North Carolina State Highway Patrol Trooper Jermaine Saunders attempted to stop Daniel Harris for speeding on Interstate 485 near the North Tryon Street exit in Charlotte. Harris did not stop, and instead led Saunders on a pursuit. Some time after Harris had stopped, Trooper Saunders fired one shot at Harris, killing him. Harris either had severe hearing impairment or was completely deaf. No weapons were recovered from Harris.

Media Misinformation

After the shooting, the media has been trying to make a big story out of this case with very little information available. Because the media lacks any significant facts in this case, they decided to just make up their own information.

Claim: Daniel Harris could not have known that he was getting stopped, because he was deaf and could not hear the siren.

Reality: Nobody could have heard the siren at Harris’ speed, and Harris most likely knew that a trooper was trying to stop him.

For those of you who are not aware, Blue Lives Matter is run by law enforcement officers, and I am employed full time as a police officer. I have stopped a great many thousands of cars in my career, and I almost never use my siren to stop a car. Even if it takes drivers a few seconds to notice me, most people will see the flashing lights in their mirrors and safely pull to the side of the road.

Whether Harris was deaf or not is irrelevant, because a hearing-person wouldn’t be able to hear the siren anyway. When people are traveling at highway speeds they are usually unable to hear police sirens, due to the amount of wind noise. The speed limit on I-485 where Harris was at was 70 MPH, and Harris was stopped for speeding.

Because police officers tend to not stop people who are just going slightly over the speed limit, it’s probably safe to say that Harris was traveling well over 70 MPH. At those speeds, any person who was not hearing impaired would be unable to hear a siren. That means Daniel Harris’ hearing impairment wouldn’t have affected his ability to notice that a police car was trying to stop him.

Claim: Daniel Harris was just driving home normally because he was unaware of the trooper behind him.

Reality: According to WCNC, “Neighbors say Harris’ car spun out of control…” (full quote below) and “I saw the highway patrol car come through and it was smoking really bad.”

The neighbor’s description doesn’t depict a picture of a casual drive home to me. Maybe you’re thinking that the media just didn’t know about the existence of that particular neighbor’s eyewitness account. However, those same media outlets are citing the WCNC article (the source of the neighbor’s account of the situation.) Most in the news media seem to be trying to ignore the facts, which suggest that Harris was actually driving recklessly while fleeing from a police officer.

Claim: Daniel Harris was shot almost immediately after exiting his vehicle.

Reality: The claim about Harris being shot “almost immediately” appears to be coming from WCNC’s report which states “Neighbors say Harris’ car spun out of control and he was was shot almost immediately after exiting the vehicle.” OK, sure, an eyewitness said that it happened almost immediately. That seems reasonable enough right? Except, that’s not what he said.

According to WCNC’s report: “I was here in my driveway and I saw the highway patrol car come through and it was smoking really bad,” said Mark Barringer. “About 10 seconds later, I heard one gunshot.”

“Almost immediately” and “10 seconds” are pretty far from the same thing. Ten seconds is plenty enough time for a driver to exit their vehicle and run to the officer’s vehicle.

However, in the end, this information may be irrelevant depending on the reason for the shooting. If the trooper believed that Harris was armed, or that he was reaching for a firearm, then the time frame isn’t relevant because it only takes a fraction of a second to draw a weapon.

Claim: Daniel Harris appeared to be trying to communicate with the officer via sign language.

Reality: This misinformation appears to be based on the WCNC article in which neighbors speculated, that Harris was “likely trying to communicate with the trooper using sign language before he was killed.” There is not a single news outlet which has reported on a witness who actually saw Harris’ interaction with Trooper Saunders. WCNC reported on what the neighbors speculation of what Harris was “likely” doing, because they didn’t actually know what he was doing.

Claim: Daniel Harris was shot for speeding.

Reality: While North Carolina State Highway Patrol has a reputation for taking speeding seriously, they don’t shoot people for speeding, or for leading police on a pursuit.

Daniel Harris was either intentionally shot because the Trooper Saunders believed that Harris was posing a risk to his or someone else’s life, or Harris was accidentally shot. The reasonableness of Trooper Jermaine Saunders’ decision is what will be the determining factor in whether the shooting was justified.

Daniel Harris’ criminal history did show a prior conviction for resisting arrest, so it’s possible that he wasn’t too fond of law enforcement. The rest of Harris’ criminal history is believed to be non-violent offenses.
Conclusion

It’s too early to tell if the shooting was justified, because almost no details about the actual shooting have been made publicly available. This shooting very well could have been unjustified, but it is also likely that the shooting was justified. We aren’t defending Trooper Jermaine Saunders’ decision to shoot Daniel Harris, because we have no idea at this time what his reasoning was. We are, however, calling out the news media for their irresponsible reporting on this incident. Almost no details on the shooting have been released, and the media has half of the nation convinced that this shooting was based on Harris’ disability.

Trooper Jermaine Saunders may have been completely justified in his decision to shoot, and he’s already having to experience the traumatic event of having to shoot somebody. The news media’s poor reporting is needlessly going to severely impact Trooper Saunders’ family as he has already been convicted in the eyes of the public.

[mountaineer]

The “Deaf Man Executed By Cop” Narrative Is a Lie. Here’s the Proof, from BearingArms.com

Excerpt:

...  He would have noticed that he was being pulled over because of the Trooper’s bright flashing lights within a matter of yards.

Daniel Kevin Harris was deaf, not blind.

But Daniel Smith didn’t stop in I-485 near N. Tryon Road when he noticed Trooper Saunders was following him. He instead led Saunders on chase that went for approximately 7.5 miles down I-485, down the off ramp onto Rocky River Road, and the went another mile before Daniel Harris finally stopped on Seven Oaks Drive.  ...

Underreported in most of the narrative crafting about the incident is the fact that both vehicles were heavily damaged during the pursuit.

Trooper Saunder’s vehicle was reported to be “smoking really bad” near the end of the chase by an eyewitness who lives on Seven Oaks Drive.

daniel harris 2

We do not yet know why or precisely where the vehicles collided prior to their final destination on Seven Oaks Drive, but we can see the damage to Mr. Harris’s car that may indicate just how desperate he was to escape Trooper Saunders.

daniel harris car

The front bumper of Harris’s Volvo is significantly damaged.  The right front tire is entirely gone; the vehicle is riding on the steel wheel.
Desperate… And violent?

Daniel Harris clearly knew he was being pursued, and the extensive damage on his vehicle suggests that he was desperate to keep going as long as he could to get home. He never got there, being shot and killed with a single shot in the middle of the street near his home.

There has been a significant amount of speculation that Daniel Harris was shot while attempting to communicate with Trooper Saunders via sign language.

There is literally zero evidence, from Trooper Saunders or any eyewitness accounts, to support that claim.  ...

[sneakypete]

A lot of cops sure seem afraid to do their jobs.   Maybe we all need to step back and think about the fear that goes through a cop when making a stop like this.

What did he have to be afraid of when facing a skinny little guy that was unarmed?

It ain't like this was on a lonely road at 2 AM and there were 6 belligerent drunks in the car.

Trooper should be charged with 1st degree murder.