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Family and friends of Anthony Lowe hold a news conference to demand an investigation into his death outside of the Huntington Park Police Department in Huntington Park, California, on January 30, 2023. | Source: PATRICK T. FALLON / Getty

We often hear from “back the blue” advocates that police officers are brave and heroic, but it appears that many cops will resort to using lethal force rather than take even the most minuscule chance that their safety might be in danger—and there’s just nothing brave or heroic about that.

Earlier this week, we reported that while Black people are still grappling with the violent and traumatic death of Tyre Nichols, who died after being beaten by Memphis police officers, another story of egregious police brutality came out of Los Angeles, where 36-year-old Anthony Lowe, a Black man who had both of his legs amputated, was shot to death by LAPD officers who, apparently, feared for their lives because Nichols was wielding a knife.

Video footage of the shooting understandably outraged many people in L.A. and around the nation, but that didn’t stop police officials from defending the shooting by noting that police tried deploying a taser to subdue the manwho is unable to walk, let alone run awayand when the tasers were “ineffective” they decided lethal force was their only recourse. After all, Lowe looked like he might throw the knife at them, so why not shoot him to death rather than risk the possibility that he’s an expert knife thrower with ninja-like precision aim, amirite?

Lowe’s family members as well as local activists are challenging the idea that the officers, who have all been placed on administrative leave pending an ongoing investigation into the shooting, had no other choice but to shoot a disabled person to death.

“How do you need to put into words the limitations on his physical mobility?” Cliff Smith, an organizer with the Los Angeles-based Coalition for Community Control Over the Police, asked, according to the Washington Post. “The officers are in their full capacity. It’s beyond absurd to say that the officers are in any risk.”

“He can’t do anything or go anywhere,” Smith continued. “It’s frustrating to even try to capture this in words. I mean, it’s so evident. What kind of mind-set do these officers have to determine that this is the correct course of action?”

On Jan. 26, Huntington Park police officers shot and killed Anthony Lowe, 36, whose lower legs were amputated last year.

Rickiesha Branch, girlfriend of Anthony Lowe, along with family demands answers about Huntington Park police shooting of double amputee, Anthony Lowe, holds a press conference in front of the Huntington Park Police Department on Monday, Jan. 30, 2023, in Huntington Park, California. | Source: Gary Coronado / Getty

Still, Huntington Park police continue to insist that Lowe “threatened to advance or throw the knife at the officers,” and that the “threat” justifies lethal force.

Meanwhile, Lowe’s sister, Yatoya Toy, questioned why the officers weren’t wearing body cameras, according to the Post, and she talked about how her brother’s killing caused her to fear for her own son.

From the Post:

Lowe had been slowly rehabilitating after losing both lower legs in an injury several months ago, Toy said. A few weeks before his death, he had gotten sized for prosthetic legs, which he would have received Monday, she said.

Lowe’s family is grappling with his death. He wasn’t there when the family gathered to watch football on Sunday — “You know he’d be talking mess about the 49ers,” Toy said — and he wasn’t there for his son’s first football game after making the varsity team. It didn’t shock Toy, she said, to be grieving so soon after footage of the death of Tyre Nichols prompted another national reckoning over police violence.

“When I see the mothers crying, I don’t feel like, ‘Oh, that could never be me,’” Toy said. “To be honest with you, the more I see it, the closer to home it was getting for me … I got a 22-year-old son of my own. I’m terrified for him. And I saw my brother. He looked like he was terrified when he was running.”

Maybe—just maybe Black people run from cops because we’re terrified of them. And maybe they keep proving why our fear is legitimate. 

SEE ALSO:

Black Driver Who Louisiana Cop Shot ‘In The Head’ Is Brother Of Top State Police Leader

Ex-Cop Who Killed Patrick Lyoya Will Face Murder Trial For Killing Of Unarmed Black Motorist

The post Justice For Anthony Lowe! Outraged Family, Activists Ask Why Cops Needed To Shoot Double Amputee appeared first on NewsOne.

Justice For Anthony Lowe! Outraged Family, Activists Ask Why Cops Needed To Shoot Double Amputee  was originally published on newsone.com

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