11-Year-Old Black Girl Killed After NY State Trooper Rams Family's SUV After Traffic Stop. Father Says Trooper Is to Blame |
Written by <a href="index.php?option=com_comprofiler&task=userProfile&user=52792"><span class="small">Zack Linly, The Root</span></a> |
Monday, 21 June 2021 12:51 |
Linly writes: "Tristin Goods said he fled out of fear for his family's safety after an irate trooper filled their SUV with pepper spray knowing young girls were inside."
11-Year-Old Black Girl Killed After NY State Trooper Rams Family's SUV After Traffic Stop. Father Says Trooper Is to Blame21 June 21
Tristin Goods, 39, told the N.Y. Daily News that he was driving his wife, April, and his daughters, 11-year-old Monica, and 12-year-old Tristina, to visit relatives when the family was pulled over for speeding by a state trooper identified as Christopher Baldner. From the Daily News: Goods says the trooper yelled at him during the stop. The news release published by the state police didn’t add any further context. All it says is that “State Police attempted to stop a vehicle on I-87 in the town of Ulster for a vehicle and traffic violation,” and that “Shortly after the traffic stop was initiated, the driver fled the scene northbound and a pursuit ensued.” It also mentions that Monica wasn’t wearing a seatbelt when the trooper rammed the family’s SUV and that she was pronounced dead at the scene. The Daily News reports that after Baldner rammed the SUV a second time, it hit a guardrail, flipped and rolled, and Monica was ejected from the vehicle. Goods was the only other person in the vehicle who had reported injuries. According to the news release, his injuries were serious but non-life-threatening and he was transported to Kingston Hospital and later transferred to Westchester Medical Center for treatment. It’s unclear if he was ever arrested and charged with a crime. Goods said that after the crash, he tried to leave the SUV to find his daughter, but Baldner pointed his gun at him and questioned him again about whether he had any guns or drugs in the car. “What did I do? What threat did I pose?” Goods asked the Daily News through tears. “It is just so hurtful. The guy was crazy. It’s illegal what he did.” He also said that, after the crash, his other daughter Tristina, who survived the impact with no reported injuries, was questioned by police for four hours without a parent present. According to NBC New York, State Attorney General Letitia James announced an investigation into Monica’s death on Dec. 28. Goods’ attorney, Joseph O’Connor, told the Daily News that he and his team are “confident that our clients’ accounts of what happened are consistent with the scientific evidence and the forensic evidence from the scene.” |
Last Updated on Monday, 21 June 2021 13:32 |