Another day, yet another tragedy involving police officers and a mentally ill person. This time in the St. Louis suburb of Normandy, Amonderez Green died early on the morning of October 29 from injuries sustained in an October 28 shootout with Normandy police. According to the
St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Normandy police officers were called to the 5800 block of Bermuda Drive about 2 p.m. for a report of a suicidal man, Normandy police Cpl. Tameika Sanders said at a press conference Wednesday night. The area is near the Normandy-Ferguson city line.
The man, now identified as Green, was being followed by family members who were “seeking police and medical intervention,” Normandy police said in a press release.
Like all too many interactions between black individuals—especially those who are mentally ill—this one ended in death. Normandy police report that Green was uncooperative and unresponsive to attempts to speak to him and pulled out a gun and began firing at officers. After police failed to bring Green down with a Taser, they began using bullets. This led to a chase and shootout which Normandy police claim ended in Green shooting himself. According to the police department's press release: "Officers in pursuit of the male momentarily lost sight of him; however, [they] heard one additional gunshot."
Officers report that they found Green injured and began administering first aid before medical aid arrived. Unfortunately, Green did die after entering the hospital in critical condition. Green's family and other neighborhood eyewitnesses, however, dispute the claim that Green was in possession of a gun when he was shot.
Head below the fold for more on this story.
According to the Post-Dispatch:
Deron Smith lives in the neighborhood and said he had seen part of the chase. Smith, who lives on Paddington, said he heard six to eight gunshots behind his home and went outside to investigate. He saw a man running from police officers. He said the man didn’t appear to be holding a gun at that point because he was using both hands to climb over fences.
Several people were behind the police, screaming at the man to stop running from the officers, Smith said. He said he believed they were relatives.
Green's father, Jermell Simpson, is quoted as saying "[w]hat they're saying is a total lie" in reference to police reports of the incident. Other family members say they tried to talk Green down without police intervention. A viral video of the family reaction to the sound of the single, fatal shot indicates that they were outraged by the police response.
Warning, the video does not contain graphic content but does contain scenes of family anguish.
Would Green still be alive today if officers had not been involved or if they engaged in more appropriate tactics for dealing with mentally ill individuals? Did Green fire the fatal shot? These questions require answers, answers that we probably won't get because this police interaction—like so many others—was a black box. The moment of Green's death took place away from all non-police witnesses. Normandy police are not required to wear body cameras, and the area is eerily similar to its neighbor, Ferguson, as a quasi-police-kleptocracy that preys on black legal revenues.
All we know at the moment is that a teenager is dead and yet another family is in mourning.