On Augest 13th 2017 an autistic teen, 18 year-old Ricardo Hayes, was shot in Chicago behind the Morgan Park High School. A video was uncovered releasing information as such: Sergeant Khalil Muhammad was pulling up in his personalized truck, and seconds latter Hayes is seen walking towards him. Shots were fired, and HAyes was shot in the shoulder and chest. Muhammad realized there was no danger and immidiately called 911. He told the operater that Hayes was shot and the operater asked why he was. Muhammad expalined that it looked like Hayes was going to pull a gun on him. The officer said he felt like he was in danger, so that is why he shot Hayes. Hayes is alive and well, and began a lawsuit against Muhammad. The officer was put on administrative leave since the accident. The video of the shooting was just released last tuesday October 17th 2018.
1. Do you think it was bonafied that the cop was so aprehensive about Hayes becasue of the area of Chicago they were in?
I felt like cops shouldn't shoot people unless there is real danger and by the sound of it there was none. I can understand why he would shoot so fast becasue he was probably not wearing any bullet pertection since he was off duty.
2. Do you think this story made big news becasue the teen had developmental disabilities or because he is of black desent?
I think it was a mixture of both. They are both minorities and have a huge spotlight in the media. All minories have big stories attached to them. I think becasue it's Chicago it was a big deal.
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Replies
Good summary! Your questions are yes/no(-2) and you only commented on one day intead of three.(-2) You also could have replied more as you only had two pages of comments.(-3)
I feel like cops shouldn't have to shoot someone unless it is totally necessary. A life or death situation or maybe to catch a bad guy. But in this story it doesn't sound like he needed to shoot because of danger. I think that this was possibly a mixture of both.
I don't think the cop shouldv'e shot him. The cop had no true reason as to why he pulled his trigger. If this guy didn't reach for anything, then the cop had no reason to pull out a gun. I think the story made big news because of both of these topics, but more of his color. Since he is in Chicago, it is more likely for a black person to shoot at the cop and thats probably why the cop got nervous.
If there's no real danger, there's no reason to shoot. He was just taking precautions because he wanted to protect himself, but he should have looked a little closer or taken a couple more seconds to see if there was any actual danger. In some parts of Chicago, shootings happen daily, and I can see why he would have been a little more alert, but he shouldn't have pulled out his gun. I think this story made the news because of both. This seems to be happening more and more and we shouldn't be so quick as to make assumptions.
It might have been a scary situation, but still he should not have not just pulled a gun out and shot. There was no reason for him to shoot. I can understand him pulling the gun but not shooting him right away. This has been happening way to much in the United States. There are so many stories about cops shooting teens, african americans, or any kind of people so I think that they talk about it on the news becuase sadly it happens a lot.
It's frightening to think that you could be shot and possibly killed because a cop THINKS they might be in danger. I have an autistic sister, and this is what's the most frightening for the families of children and teens with disabilities. You don't know what a police officer might think. I do think it made news because of the teen's disabilites, but in my opinion that's a good thing. Pollice need to be trained in deeling with people with disabilities so stuff like this doesn't happen, and media attention might help that begin.
bump
I don't think you should shoot someone because you're scared and in a bad area. The cop didn't really have any good reason to shoot. Anyone can "look" like they "might" pull out a gun, but they don't. Being black AND having a disability especially tied in with shootings and cops will make news for sure. Even if the teen was white and non-disabled, he would probably still make big news but I am not sure.
I agree with you when you say that being black and having disabilities is a big reason why it was in the news. I think you have a good point when you say that anyone can look suspicious and look like they could pull a gun on you, but the person isn't harmful at all.
I think that it might have beena little bonafied that the cop was so aprehensive about Hayes because of the area fo Chicago and plus Chicago is very dangerous state to live in becasue it has so much crime. I think it made the big news more because the teen ended up having disabilites because of what had taken palce.
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