Md. officer charged with murder after shooting of handcuffed man
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
A police officer in Maryland is facing multiple charges including murder after he allegedly shot a man multiple times while he was handcuffed and seated in his patrol car.
The officer was charged with second-degree murder, assault, manslaughter and weapons charges after 43-year-old William Green, who is black, was shot seven times by the officer's gun while seated in the vehicle, according to a statement from police.
Cpl. Michael Owen Jr., who is also black and is a 10-year veteran of the force according to USA Today, and another officer who was with Owen on the scene attempted to administer medical aid to Green after the shooting but he died at the hospital a short time later, according to the report.
It was unclear what transpired between the time Green was removed from his car and placed in the squad car, and the shooting itself. "A short time later, for reasons that are now at the center of the investigation, Green was shot seven times by the officer's duty weapon," Prince George's County Police Chief Hank Stawinski said at a Tuesday press conference.
"I have concluded that what happened last night is a crime," he continued, adding that there was no "reasonable explanation" for the shooting.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Maryland denounced the shooting in a tweet Tuesday evening, asserting that if body camera footage was available it would show that the shooting was avoidable. "The police killings of Black people like this completely preventable. Police characterize them as unavoidable, but they are not. And body camera footage will show that. #WilliamGreen #BlackLivesMatter," tweeted the group.
The police killings of Black people like this completely preventable. Police characterize them as unavoidable, but they are not. And body camera footage will show that. #WilliamGreen #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/kxj79xyLGc
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Most times I'll find myself siding with the police in shooting, however in this case that's seemingly impossible.
In other stories, Owen had put the stoner suspect next to him in the police car. A cop, a drunk and a gun packed in one place - who could have known? Back cuffs is just a distraction.
This cop shot him 7 times while handcuffed. Can't imagine how a struggle ensued here.
We watch "Cops" and Live PD all the time. Almost anything is possible.