Photo: Amy Ludd, pregnant wife of Adriene, speaks into the megaphone at his vigil on Black Friday.
Black Lives Matter Sacramento held a vigil this Black Friday outside of a Target store in Carmichael, Ca. – two miles from the intersection where Sacramento sheriff’s deputies killed 36-year-old Adriene Ludd. A crowd of more than 100 came to pay their respects and to call for justice for Ludd.
On October 22 the sheriff’s department instigated a traffic stop with Ludd which resulted in him being shot in the middle of an intersection. Ludd’s family report that his body was left uncovered and in the street for 11 hours. They also believe his body was further mishandled by the coroner. This was the fifth officer-involved shooting in Sacramento county in 2015.
Local media has repeatedly highlighted Ludd’s criminal record while glossing over the name(s) of the law enforcement officer(s) who committed the violent act that cut Adriene’s life short. His loved ones spoke warmly of him at the vigil, recalling him as a “gentle giant.” Amy Ludd, Adriene’s wife who is pregnant with their daughter, spoke at the vigil: “They [law enforcement] will try to justify these acts any way they can.” She expressed gratitude to everyone for coming out to the vigil and for fighting for justice in his name, “Thank you for loving him.”
Family members and loved ones of Adriene Ludd have collaborated with Black Lives Matter Sacramento to assemble a list of demands which includes the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department releasing to the family: the police report, autopsy report, names of the officers involved in the shooting, and all dashcam footage of the incident. It has been over a month since the killing of Adriene and his family has had none of these demands met.
