*An officer involved shooting near the campus of Yale University has lead to nearly a week of peaceful protests with demonstrators noting that this case highlights how police are trained to overreact to people of color.
Surveillance video obtained by CBS affiliate WFSB-TV appears to show the moment Hamden Police Officer Devin Eaton jumps out of his SUV with his gun drawn and fires multiple rounds into a car suspected of being involved in a robbery. Eaton then leaves the scene, while inside the car, Stephanie Washington, 22, was suffering from an injury. Her boyfriend, 21-year-old Paul Witherspoon, was unharmed. Both were unarmed.
Washington was shot in the face and hospitalized with a non-life threatening wound.
Connecticut state police say the responding officers, Eaton and Yale University Police Officer Terrance Black, began firing when Witherspoon abruptly got out of the vehicle, according to msn.com.
Watch footage from the scene via the Twitter video embed below.
OTHER NEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED: Did Remy Ma Risk Violating Her Parole by Giving ‘Love & Hip Hop NYC’ Co-star A Black Eye?
?? #StephanieWashington, 22, and boyfriend #PaulWitherspoon, 21, unarmed #African Americans shot by officers as they sat unarmed in their car near #Yale university’s campus in #NewHaven.
They said fit the description of one linked to a reported armed robbery. pic.twitter.com/avzAewOKQY
— Crackdown Chronicles (@CrackdownReport) April 22, 2019
The video does not show what led to the shooting. Both officers have been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.
Protesters are calling it yet another example of Blacks being targeted by overzealous officers.
“I believe it’s very important for the people to speak out, especially for injustice against people of color,” one protester said.
“You need to look at what’s really going on with the police … really look at how the police look at residents period,” said Witherspoon’s uncle, Rodney Williams. “The police could be black, white, Puerto Rican … it’s just a police issue … I think we need to be respected as human beings and I feel like they really don’t.”
Police plan to release the body camera video later this week.
Meanwhile, the protesters say they will continue to peacefully take to the streets until the two officers involved in the shooting are fired.
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!
