The release said: “On behalf of the Hammond Family, today Bland Richter, is requesting in writing that the Justice Department, US Attorney’s Office and FBI intervene in the ongoing investigation into the death of Zachary Hammond because of the substantial violations of his civil rights and the need for a transparent and independent investigation of the Seneca Police Department’s policies, procedures and practices”.
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Attorney Eric Bland, who represents the family of Zachary Hammond, released a statement Tuesday regarding the request for federal intervention.
“Every death of an unarmed teen, regardless of color, strips a piece of our dignity and humanity as a society”, they said. “The hypocrisy that has been shown toward this is really disconcerting”. “While many other recent events have involved white on black police shootings, police brutality and the excessive use of force are race neutral issues”. When Hammond and Morton pulled into a Hardee’s parking lot, police were waiting.
Hammond’s parents said police were not providing answers to their questions, so they went looking for their own.
An undercover officer arranged to buy drugs from the woman in the fast food restaurant parking lot, authorities said. On July 26, Hammond was on a date with 23-year-old Tori Morton.
“If not for Lieutenant Tiller’s quick reflexes and his ability to push off the vehicle, Lieutenant Tiller would have easily been run over by Mr. Hammond”, the statement said. A Seneca police report indicated a data card was turned over to state investigators, but whether that card has dashboard camera footage or other data has not been made public.
The coroner found white powder on Hammond during his autopsy.
Bland said Hammond’s wounds indicate the vehicle was not moving, and the teen was shot on the rear of his shoulder and on the side of his chest. Richardson additionally confirmed there’s dashcam video of the incident however wouldn’t say when it will be launched.
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SLED will send its findings to the local prosecutor. Over the weekend, he said it was “ridiculous” to claim that Hammond was a threat to Tiller or anybody else, and reiterated his belief that the location of the gunshot wounds suggests Tiller acted unlawfully in shooting Hammond.
