The death of 21-year-old Chavis Carter on July 28, in Jonesboro, Ark., raises serious questions about a likely police cover-up in the death of the Black youth.
According to press reports, a bullet to the head killed the Southaven, Miss., man while he was sitting in the back of a patrol car—in handcuffs.
Accounts indicate that Jonesboro police stopped a car in which Chavis was a passenger July 28. The police conducted a background check on Chavis. When they ran his information through dispatch, they found that he was wanted on an outstanding warrant in Mississippi, where he lived, and reportedly discovered that he had drugs on him.
According to Sergeant Lyle Waterworth of the Jonesboro Police, “As protocol (Carter) was handcuffed behind his back and double locked, and searched.” Somehow, minutes later, police claim to have “heard a thumping noise,” and saw Carter in the back of the car dead, shot in the head, while handcuffed.
Carter’s mother, Teresa, is not buying the police version of what happened that evening. She suspects foul play: “I think they killed him, my son wasn’t suicidal.” Carter’s mother has shared that Chavis called his girlfriend while he was pulled over to tell her he’d call her from jail. She also adds that her son was shot in his right temple, while he was left-handed.
The two officers involved, Officer Keith Baggett and Officer Ron Marsh are now on administrative leave until the investigation concludes. Due to widespread outrage over the logic-defying claims of the police, the FBI is now “monitoring” the official investigation.
The death of Chavis Carter is the latest in a nationwide epidemic of police violence and killings. This egregious incident comes on the heels of the police killings of two Latino males during late July in Anaheim, Calif., which sparked numerous protests by families and community activists. All progressive people should call for the prosecution of the police involved in this outrageous incident.
