Louisville KY: The community is outraged over the shooting death of James Edward Taylor, 50, who was shot in the back by police after he had been handcuffed.
Police acknowledged that Taylor had been shot after being handcuffed, but claimed that he had somehow pulled a knife and was slashing at officers -- while his hands were handcuffed behind his back -- who then had no choice but to shoot Taylor 12 times after being allegedly "backed into a corner" by him.
No one can understand how trained police officers could first fail to pat down a man they are arresting and then fail to disarm him with their chemical weapons or batons after he was handcuffed.
There are only two options here: either the police are unbelievably cowardly and incompetent, or they are cold-blooded killers. There is no other option.
Louisville police have shot and killed numerous black men over the past few years. Rodney Abernathy, a mentally ill man armed with a car jack, was killed in June 2000. In January 2001, Clifford Lewis was killed when he allegedly pinned an officer between his vehicle and a police car. One month later in February 2001, Antwan Bryant was killed when the driver of the car he was riding in allegedly ran over a cop's feet. The cop shot at the driver but killed Antwan. And in August 2002, Marshall Mably was shot 16 times in his car when cops thought he was aiming a rifle at them. The "rifle" turned out to be a BB gun, and some witnesses said that the police placed the gun in the car after the shooting. Mably, like Abernathy and Taylor, had a history of mental illness.
The victim, James Edward Taylor:
Take a good look at the two cops present, Mike O'Neill (left) and Brian Luckett (right). O'Neill was the triggerman.
 
Local corporate reports:
http://www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2002/12/08/ke120802s327166.htm
http://www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2002/12/07/ke120702s326532.htm
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Revolutionary Anti-Authoritarians of Color
