commentary by Patrick H. Moore
Natasha Lennard is an assistant news editor at Salon.com. She is confused about a strange phenomenon that has been occurring in the back of police cruisers in several of our southern states that seems to defy both the laws of physics and the limits of human physiology. Ms. Lennard writes:
Exhibit I:
Young people of color, handcuffed with their hands bound behind their backs, are able to shoot themselves in the head. For the critical observer, belief is beggared. As I noted last year, twice in six months, young men have managed to shoot themselves in the head while in handcuffs in the back of police cars.
The first incident occurred in Jonesboro, Ark. in August of 2012 when law enforcement claimed that Chavis Carter, 21, committed suicide while in the back of a patrol car. He was reportedly apprehended with $10 worth of marijuana and was handcuffed at the time of the shooting and had already been searched for weapons. According to the police report, the arresting officers inadvertently failed to discover Carter’s handgun concealed on his body and the young man — who was found to be on a number of amphetamines and sedatives at the time — reportedly managed to reach around his back to shoot himself in the right side of his head, despite being left-handed. Dr. Isaac Richmond, national director of the Memphis-based Commission on Religion and Racism, called the police’s account “a cold-blooded calculated lie.” A state autopsy report, however, swallowed the suicide narrative like a hungry muskellunge in a northern lake swallowing a cleverly-baited hook.
Exhibit II:
The second incident occurred four months later in December of 2012. Police were dispatched to rescue a 17-year old high school student at North Shore High School in Houston, Texas. The teen was apparently depressed after breaking up with a girlfriend, and he had texted a fellow student, indicating he intended to hurt himself, which led to the student notifying the authorities.
Click2 Houston reported that the police found the troubled teenager in a restroom at the high school. He appeared to be mentally unstable, and according to officials, it took two deputy constables to remove him from the restroom. He was taken into custody for his own safety and a deputy constable searched and handcuffed the student and put him in the back of a patrol car. While handcuffed in the moving car, the student retrieved a gun that had been hidden beneath his t-shirt and shot himself in the back of the head.
The police car was still on campus at the time of the shooting. The student was taken to Ben Taub hospital and listed in critical condition.
“Obviously we have had a rough day with an extremely unexpected event,” Jonathan Frey, spokesman for the Galena Park Independent School District, told the Houston Chronicle.
Police Capt. John Moore said it was unclear whether the student shot himself intentionally. Frey added that he did not know whether officers found a weapon on the student during the search, and does not know how the boy grabbed the weapon while handcuffed.
Natasha Lennard of Salon.com is of the impression that the police report in this case appears more credible than the Chavis Carter Arkansas incident. It is odd, however, that the student’s gun was missed when he was searched. After all, given the student’s unstable condition, one would think the police would have searched him with considerable care before placing him in the back of their patrol car.
Ms. Lennard points out that the plausibility of a suicide in this case does nothing to clear up the lingering questions surrounding Chavis Carter’s death while in police custody.
Exhibit III:
Now we have a brand new incident in which a North Carolina teen has died of a gunshot wound that police say was self-inflicted while the young man was in handcuffs. Michael Allen of Opposing Views reports:
Durham, N.C., Police Chief Jose Lopez said at a news conference that Jesus Huerta, 17, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head on Nov. 19th while handcuffed with his hands behind his back, and in the custody of Police Officer Samuel Duncan. Lopez said that Officer Duncan was responding to a call about Huerta being a runaway. The officer reportedly discovered that the teen had a warrant out for his arrest on a second-degree trespassing charge, according to WRAL.
Chief Lopez said that a handgun was found in the car and that Huerta was still handcuffed from behind, but somehow managed to fatally shoot himself.
“The medical examiner’s office has confirmed that Jesus Huerta died from a gunshot wound to his head,” stated Chief Lopez. “Whether that wound was accidental or intentional is unknown at this time.”
“I know that it is hard for people not in law enforcement to understand how someone could be capable of shooting themselves while handcuffed behind the back,” added Chief Lopez. “While incidents like this are not common, they unfortunately have happened in other jurisdictions in the past.”
As might be expected, Huerta’s family is not buying the “official” police explanation and has called for a federal investigation of the incident. The family asked in a statement: “How did Jesus end up dead in the parking lot at police headquarters in these circumstances? Searched. Handcuffed behind the back. How is it even possible to shoot oneself?”
And Huerta’s sister Evelin Huerta told WRAL that her brother did not have a gun and added, “I’m just more frustrated now. In what world does any of this make sense?”
* * * * *
There are three possible explanations for the fact that two of these three three young men died while in custody (the third was seriously wounded) while handcuffed in the back of police cruisers:
1) In each instance, the young men were intent on killing themselves. Law enforcement failed to discover that they had firearms secreted on their bodies. While handcuffed in the cruisers, the young men somehow managed to overcome the laws of physics and shoot themselves, in two cases fatally, in the back of their heads.
2) One of more of the shootings were executions on the part of law enforcement?
3) Divine intervention?