As 2010 came to an end, the Baltimore Police Department celebrated
the small decline in murder rates and overall crime in Baltimore. It was a
seemingly progressive “step forward” in a city notorious for its high rate of
drug- and gang-related crimes. But at the start of the new year, Sean “Loz”
Gamble, a 22-year-old father, son, brother, fiancée and semi-pro football
player ended up a victim of the largest, most well-organized armed gangs in the
city—the Baltimore police.
On
Jan. 8, Sean Gamble, his cousin Martin and a few other relatives went out for
an evening of partying to celebrate Martin’s birthday. Around 1:15 a.m. the
next day, the group proceeded to leave the Select Lounge, a local nightclub,
when Gamble found himself in an argument with plainclothes officer William
Torbit. Witnesses say Torbit was aggressive towards an unknown woman outside
the nightclub and that Gamble stepped in to deescalate the situation. Tension
grew between the two men, while several others crowded around.
Shortly after, four uniformed officers, who had responded to a call, arrived on the scene with guns drawn. Officer Torbit revealed his weapon when suddenly shots were fired from the uniformed cops. In a matter of seconds, Gamble’s family members watched him as he was executed by the Baltimore Police. It is still uncertain which officer shot Gamble, who was unarmed. One thing for sure is that the Gamble family is still looking for clear answers, and are wondering why 41 bullets were fired into the crowd when the only armed person was Torbit.
But
because Torbit was dressed in plainclothes, the uniformed officers did not recognize him as a cop, and unloaded a barrage of bullets into the mix of
unarmed civilians and the one officer.
Three were wounded and ironically, Torbit himself was riddled with 20
bullets.
As
friends and relatives are left to mourn, as community leaders demand an
investigation, and as the wounded heal from the assault, shooting officers
Harry Dodge, Harry Pawley, Tovia Williams and Latora Craig have been placed on
administrative leave with pay—a slap in the face to the Gamble family and to
all who have suffered from the incident.
This
incident is just one of an epidemic of police brutality and murder that is
commonplace in predominantly Black and Latino working-class communities. The
people united can have the strength to stand up to state thugs like the
Baltimore Police Department and to hold them accountable. Justice for Sean
Gamble and all victims of police brutality!
