| St. Louis Cop Poses With Dead Black Man, Abu Ghraib Style |
| Written by <a href="index.php?option=com_comprofiler&task=userProfile&user=33791"><span class="small">teleSUR</span></a> |
| Sunday, 06 November 2016 13:55 |
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Excerpt: "An armed police officer hovers next to a body of a deceased Black man, lifting his arm with his gloved hands. Grinning widely straight ahead, the cop gives a thumbs-up to the camera."
St. Louis Cop Poses With Dead Black Man, Abu Ghraib Style06 November 16
“It's hideous. The implications of this photograph are just astronomical,” said the lawyer for the mother of the deceased.
This is the startling image captured Aug. 8, at the scene of 28-year-old Omar Rahman’s death, leaked in the weeks following his death in St. Louis, Missouri. Now Kim Staton, Rahman’s mother, is demanding answers of the ordeal many say is reminiscent of U.S. soldiers posing with detainees at the Abu-Ghraib prison in Iraq. “That's what I am looking for, I'm looking for some answers,” Staton said, after local media outlet KMOV-TV News 4 showed her the image. Her attorney Antonio Romanucci called the photo is “hideous.” While the Medical Examiner ruled Rahman’s death an accidental overdose, Staton says she’s heard little from police ever since he died. Since the leak, investigative reporter Lauren Trager has been looking into the implications of the photo, questioning the North County Police Cooperative officer’s conduct. “In your mind, is there any reasonable explanation for what that officer was doing?” asked Trager. “No,” said Staton. “Because when they come to a call, they're supposed to be there to help and protect, not doing what he was doing with thumbs up and a smirk on his face.” “It's hideous. The implications of this photograph are just astronomical,” said Romanucci. “I have seen thousands and thousands of forensic photographs, I have never seen a staged photograph of an officer next to a deceased body.” Staton says that once News 4 got involved with the ordeal, police told her their official crime scene camera had been missing for a while, with some missing pictures as well. When KMOV-TV reported on the issue, a lawyer for North County Police Cooperative threatened the station, claiming the photo in question was “stolen property” and stated that the police cooperative "does not believe it is appropriate to comment on a matter related to two open criminal investigations." |
n armed police officer hovers next to a body of a deceased Black man, lifting his arm with his gloved hands. Grinning widely straight ahead, the cop gives a thumbs-up to the camera. 