Mother blames race for shooting of son by police
Mother blames race for shooting of son by police
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 said her family wants answers about what happened leading up to '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.
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," 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 reported. Susan Hunt had just returned to 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."
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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.
a souvenir sword bought from an Asian gift store that has a rounded edge, not a blade.
And I'm quite sure the cops had the time to stop the boy, pull out the blade from the sheath and determine the "sword" was just a "toy" - right?
But, of course. /s
Question....What is a man doing walking down the street at 9:40 in the a.m. with a sword?
If such a white man unslung the rifle from his shoulder and pointed it at the cops he would not last long either .
Yawn - taking over for John, eh? Ignore the facts - he was Black - it was racist.
The katana is generally defined as the standard sized, moderately curved (as opposed to the older "tachi " style featuring more curvature) Japanese sword with a blade length greater than 60cm ( 23 1 2 inches)
The katana is characterized by its distinctive appearance: a curved, slender, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. It has historically been associated with the samuraiof feudal Japan.
Some historians have said that katana were among the finest cutting weapons in world military history.
They are NOT toys and can cause a lot of damage in a heartbeat.
'Course, in your world blue, Blacks never hurt other people - other people hurt Blacks.
After reading several other news articles on this subject;
Unfortunately, however logical as it may appear to be, nothing reported corroborates the conjecture that he was shot because of his race. Federals authorities have not been called to investigate whether his constitutional rights were violated. (In my opinion, internal police investigations are not to be trusted)
If you are going to quote me, please do not change my words. I wrote;
Do you have proof that the police shot him because he is black? PROOF is what counts in a civilized court of law. Opinions and theories are only valid in the court of public opinion.
he was not brandishing the sword as a threat to anyone. Why would a citizen call 911?
Not that I for one second believe the police account on this but the police legally responded to a citizens concern, even if the person complaining was insane.
At issue is not the sword per se but the use of lethal force in this incident.