Wednesday, June 06, 2012

Dallas Police Department : 6th Officer - Involved Shooting in the Past 5 Months as Oak Cliff Traffic Stop Ends With Driver Shot in the Back

Today, the Dallas Morning News is wondering about what is going on with the Dallas Police Department -- as a lot of people are these days -- but according to reporter Tanya Eiserer, Dallas Police Chief David Brown isn't talking to the press right now. 

Maybe Chief Brown needs time to get his ducks in a row, since Dallas seems to be having more and more shootings involving the police shooting citizens.  Like the officer-involved shooting this past Saturday in Oak Cliff, where the Dallas Medical Examiner has confirmed that the man was shot in the back by the Dallas police officer.

That's right.  Shot in the back.  

Dallas Police Traffic Stop for Failure to Use Turn Signal Ends Up With Driver Dead


John Robert Husband died on Saturday from a Dallas police officer's bullet after the police pulled his car over because Husband reportedly didn't use his turn signal.  He was 21 years old. 

So, in a routine traffic stop someone died.  [Read more about traffic stops on our web site resources page.]

The reports thus far are that Dallas police officer Leland Limbaugh smelled marijuana as he approached the vehicle and accordingly ordered Husband to get out of the car.  The passengers, Xavier Bryant and Derrick Epps, remained inside.  

Conflicting Stories on What Happened in Saturday Night's Officer Involved Shooting


As Dallas officer Limbaugh patted down Husband, the officer's story goes, Husband started to resist when Limbaugh tried to cuff him and tried to pull a pistol from his belt.  Limbaugh feared for his life, and accordingly drew his weapon and shot Husband in the back, the bullet entering his body via his left shoulder blade.

The two passengers don't agree with this version of events. Their story is that Husband got scared and started to run from the car, and the Dallas police officer pulled his gun and shot the young man in the back as he ran away.  No struggle.  No reason for the police officer to "fear for his life."

What about the electric eye, the dashcam video?  Wouldn't it solve the conflict between the officer's version of events and the witnesses' accounts?  Sure it would: but this police car didn't have a dash cam installed.  

On Monday, the Dallas Police Department published its official statement of these events on the DPD Facebook page.  The Dallas Observer provides that statement online in its coverage here, for those who don't access Facebook. 

Husband's Death is Sixth Fatal Officer-Involved Shooting in Dallas in 2012: What's Going On?


Saturday's shooting brings the tally of Dallas Police Department officer-involved shootings of citizens to six (6) since this year began -- a ratio of someone dying from a Dallas law enforcement bullet approximately every 2.5 weeks in 2012. 

That's unacceptable.  That's scary.   

When is Dallas Police Chief Brown going to talk to us about this?