Justice Dept. launches probe into San Francisco police
The US Department of Justice says it will probe the San Francisco police weeks after law enforcement officers fatally shot a black man, Mario Woods.
US Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a statement on Monday the department will conduct a “comprehensive review” of the San Francisco Police Department , an announcement that comes two months after the fatal shooting of a 26-year-old man provoked fury in the city.
“In the days and months ahead, we will examine the San Francisco Police Department’s current operational policies, training practices, and accountability systems, and help identify key areas for improvement going forward,” said Lynch.
A cellphone video of the police killing Woods was released online in December, and widely viewed. Protests erupted in San Francisco following the killing.
Woods was shot at least 15 times by a group of police officers on December 2, after ignoring their commands to drop his knife.
Following the shooting, Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr argued that the killing was justified, because Woods was a threat to officers. He even called for equipping officers with stun guns to prevent similar killings.
On Saturday, hundreds marched in the San Francisco streets, calling for Suhr to be fired. They were calling for San Francisco's Police Chief, Greg Suhr, to be fired, chanting, "For justice, Mario Woods" and "Fire Chief Suhr."
The investigation, which comes following requests from city officials, will only result in recommendations.
Similar probes have been opened into suspected police abuses in Chicago and Baltimore where protests erupted over fatal shootings of young black men.
US police have been subjected to intense scrutiny for using excessive and lethal force against black suspects.
Large-scale demonstrations were held across the country in 2014 after a series of high-profile incidents of white police officers killing unarmed African-American men, including Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri; Tamir Rice in Cleveland, Ohio; Eric Garner in Staten Island, New York and Walter Scott in North Charleston, South Carolina.
US pro-Palestinian protesters resist order to clear MIT encampment
Amid US campus movement, purge of pro-Palestine professors intensifies
US police arrest 25 students at University of Virginia amid pro-Palestine rally
VIDEO | Protecting Africa's Heritage
VIDEO | The Milltown massacre
UNRWA: Israel’s ‘safe zones’ claim false, no place safe in Gaza
VIDEO | Duke University commencement speech prompts walkout over speaker's Israel support
‘500 medical personnel killed since Israeli onslaught on Gaza started’
Hamas condemns Biden’s remarks on Israeli captives as ‘setback’ to ceasefire talks
VIDEO | US-Israeli genocide in Gaza
VIDEO | Iranian capital hosts 35th Tehran International Book Fair
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
