Father-of-one Daniel Harris, who was not armed, was gunned down not far from his home by state trooper Jermaine Saunders after being pulled over for speeding.
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Authorities have launched an investigation to determine exactly what happened. Money left over would be used to establish a foundation “to educate and provide law enforcement proper training on how to confront deaf people”, a message on the page said.
On Aug. 18, police said they tried to stop a vehicle driven by Daniel Kevin Harris for speeding on I-485.
The Highway Patrol on Tuesday urged people not to jump to conclusions. The department oversees the Highway Patrol. Following the incident, the trooper was placed on administrative leave, which is normal protocol after a shooting. “I’m wondering why it would be a question, why it would be anything other than a criminal investigation”.
Harris’ brother said at Monday’s vigil that he has experienced aggressive officers after being pulled over because of his condition.
What do you think caused a state trooper to fire his weapon at a deaf man?
Harris’ family and the local deaf community held a memorial for Tuesday night.
“You don’t see deafness the way you see race, and what we need to change is the system”, Sam Harris said.
They said Mr Harris, 29, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was shot “almost immediately” after getting out his vehicle following a brief pursuit.
Also in Denver, Harris had traffic stops in 2015 and 2008. It’s unclear what happened with the 2015 charge.
He was arrested twice in Florida in 2010 – once for petit theft and once for speeding. A charge of resisting an officer was dropped. The petit theft charge is a misdemeanor involving property valued at less than $300.
And in December of that same year, he pleaded guilty to interfering with or resisting police in Watertown, Connecticut. “All police departments in every state should undergo appropriate training to learn best practices when faced with a deaf person”.
Sam Harris, center, older brother of Daniel Harris signs to the crowd during a candlelight vigil along Seven Oaks Drive to remember Daniel Harris, Monday, Aug. 22, 2016 in Charlotte, N.C. Daniel Harris, a deaf man who was shot and killed by a North Carolina state trooper after he didn’t stop for the officer’s blue lights was unarmed and likely did not understand the officer’s commands, the slain man’s family says. The troopers’ manual cautions them that such interactions can sometimes lead to tragic misunderstandings. It also advises troopers on types of communication that deaf people may use.
While the NAD doesn’t keep statistics on violent encounters between deaf people and law enforcement, Rosenblum said there are “too many” such incidents. “Too often, officers make verbal orders for individuals to comply and act aggressively when those individuals do not comply”.
The National Association of the Deaf in a statement Tuesday called Harris’ death “wrong” and called on law enforcement to improve their training to better understand how to interact with a deaf person.
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Harris was white, and authorities haven’t revealed Saunders’ race.
