Shooting of teen in Anaheim: suspend officer, disclose facts

5 July 2019, Anaheim, CA – Replica guns are cited in yet another shooting death of an unarmed person, as an officer shot a 17-year-old girl.

NBC News reported that the ‘suspect’ , who family members identified as teen Hannah Williams, was shot in an incident on the Freeway, taken to hospital, where she died.  CNN has since reported that Hannah Williams’ vehicle and the police officer’s vehicles collided. 

The police issued a statement on 6 July which said:  “The officer-involved shooting occurred … what appeared to be a Beretta 92 FS handgun was recovered at the scene next to the female…The gun was later identified as a replica handgun designed to look like a handgun.”

 

An updated statement of 9 July purports to show the replica gun next to the real thing looking very realistic:  police say no orange paint was visible which replicas are meant to have to indicate they are not real weapons.

However, Rev. Jarrett Maupin, a spokesman for the family, told NBC News on Tuesday that Hannah did not have a gun on her when she was shot.

“We maintain that she was unarmed, a fake gun is a fake gun,” Maupin said during a press conference Tuesday.

A New York Times piece claims the gun was recovered from deep within the vehicle and could not have been being waived or wielded by the victim.

Maupin said they still did not know details on how Hannah died, such as how many times she was shot or even where she was shot. The family is now asking for the officer to be suspended without pay and for California Gov. Gavin Newsom to open a state investigation into her death.

One Pulse is dismayed the police will not answer basic questions and apparently have not suspended the officer.  One Pulse has contacted Anaheim police for updates and also be contacting major fake/’toy’ gun manufacturers to demand less realistic-looking weapons are produced going forward.

ACTION

Please contact the Fullerton Police Department and Governor Newsom through one of the channels below and give them the following message, personalized to your liking:

I am absolutely sickened and disgusted that police have killed yet another young person who was unarmed.  Apparently the 17 year old Hannah Williams had a replica gun, and your officer decided to shoot her for it, causing her death.

You are investigating, but surely the family and public have the right to know what happened, why lethal force was used, what made your officer shoot, how many times they shot, where she was shot, and whether or not the fake gun was within her reach and was in sight, or as claimed in the media was recovered from deep inside the vehicle where she would not have had access to it.  Was your officer recording the event on bodycam?

Until we have a clear vision of what happened, it is clear the officer is a danger to any suspect they encounter, and must be immediately suspended without pay. I will be watching this case carefully, and demand you not only disclose the details the public require, but also look to reforming your training procedures so that future avoidable shooting deaths by your force can be avoided.  I want Governor Newsom, not least in light of recent legislation aimed at ending such tragic shootings, to hold a full state investigation.

Fullerton Police Department
Phone: (714) 738-6800
Email:  http://www.fullertonpd.org/faqs/default.asp (form)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CityofFullerton/  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FPDPIO 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom
Please copy him to demand he opens a state investigation into her death
Phone: (916) 445-2841
Email:  gavin@gavinnewsom.com or via this form https://govapps.gov.ca.gov/gov40mail/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GavinNewsom/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CAgovernor

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