The Lawyers representing the Woods’ family called on the Department of Justice (DOJ) for an independent federal investigation into the December 2 killing of Mario Woods at the hands of San Francisco police officers.
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At the conclusion of the review, the Justice Department will give San Francisco police a list of best practices it can follow to insure fairness in its interactions with citizens.
Police claim the officers first tried non-lethal force, firing bean bags and tear gas at Woods, but say those tactics were unsuccessful.
The U.S. Department of Justice said Monday it will examine use of force and ethnic disparities in arrests as part of a review of the San Francisco Police Department amid heightened racial tensions.
Other American police departments such as Baltimore have asked the Justice Department to conduct similar inquiries following allegations of discrimination.
Last week, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon accused the department of stonewalling a recently created panel he convened to investigate police culture and practice, a claim the chief denied. The investigation will take two years, with reports issued every six months. In a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch, he stressed “the dissolution of trust between communities of color and law enforcement” before adding that he’d like to open doors to regain transparency and accountability. “Five officers shot and killed him after he appeared to raise an 8-inch knife and approach an officer, according to police”. Police have said he was armed with a knife; his family and protesters have said officers did not need to use deadly force.
San Francisco Police Department is now being boiled after a vide regarding the shooting incident was released and is contrary to what they’ve reported.
Even before the formal requests for a federal review, reaction to the shooting had stirred virulent objections from the police officers’ union.
In the latest protest Saturday, hundreds of people marched in the streets demanding Police Chief Greg Suhr’s dismissal.
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The decree spelled out dozens of major reforms the police agency had to implement and frequent audits as well as monitoring from the federal court.
