Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Jilly_in_VA

(9,852 posts)
Wed Jul 7, 2021, 03:30 PM Jul 2021

Darnella Frazier's uncle killed by police car pursuing robbery suspect

Source: The Guardian

The teenager who recorded the last moments of George Floyd’s life in a video that helped launch a global protest movement against racial injustice said her uncle has died in a crash involving a Minneapolis police car.

Darnella Frazier said in a Facebook post that Leneal Lamont Frazier died early on Tuesday after his vehicle was struck by a squad car police said was pursuing another driver linked to several robberies.

People gather at 38th Street and Chicago Ave., the area called George Floyd’s Square, and the sight where Floyd was killed one year ago.
Teen who filmed George Floyd’s death speaks out: ‘It changed me’

Frazier was not involved in the pursuit and his niece questioned why police were conducting a high-speed chase on a residential road.

“Another black man lost his life in the hands of the police!” Frazier wrote. “Minneapolis police has cost my whole family a big loss. Today has been a day full of heartbreak and sadness.”

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jul/07/darnella-frazier-uncle-leneal-lamont-frazier-dies-police-car-crash



Another innocent victim of macho police behavior. This NEEDS TO STOP! That poor child.
24 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Darnella Frazier's uncle killed by police car pursuing robbery suspect (Original Post) Jilly_in_VA Jul 2021 OP
Shit wryter2000 Jul 2021 #1
"To protect and to serve." Harker Jul 2021 #2
Hopefully they catch the driver who fled ripcord Jul 2021 #3
I'd want proof there even was a fleeing driver. ret5hd Jul 2021 #4
I wondered about that too Withywindle Jul 2021 #6
So you think the cops made up a story just to kill this guy? Jedi Guy Jul 2021 #17
No, I think it is possible (likely) that... ret5hd Jul 2021 #18
Yes, that's kind of my entire point. Jedi Guy Jul 2021 #19
Could he actually be charged? NH Ethylene Jul 2021 #8
I don't see why not ripcord Jul 2021 #12
As far as I know, yes, he can be charged. Jedi Guy Jul 2021 #23
Co-Incidence? Me. Jul 2021 #5
I doubt it. n/t Withywindle Jul 2021 #15
So you think they deliberately killed him to get back at her? Jedi Guy Jul 2021 #24
OMG, so much tragedy for the Frazier family. In my opinion, all cop car/motorcycle chases should iluvtennis Jul 2021 #7
TOTALLY agree!! NH Ethylene Jul 2021 #9
OMG, so glad your daughter and grandkids weren't injured. ENUF with cop chases. n/t iluvtennis Jul 2021 #10
That's a heck of an assumption. Jedi Guy Jul 2021 #16
I did find out why and there was no rape or murder. NH Ethylene Jul 2021 #20
Fair enough, and agreed. That was how my department handled pursuits when I was a dispatcher. Jedi Guy Jul 2021 #21
That is a great policy. I fully support that. n/t NH Ethylene Jul 2021 #22
Yeah, no. Jedi Guy Jul 2021 #14
High speed police chases have killed and maimed so many innocent victims, of all colors. Insane that FailureToCommunicate Jul 2021 #11
Testosterone...and steroids. And rage. NullTuples Jul 2021 #13

Jedi Guy

(3,171 posts)
17. So you think the cops made up a story just to kill this guy?
Wed Jul 7, 2021, 08:28 PM
Jul 2021

You realize that such a lie would instantly fall apart when they couldn't produce dashcam footage of the chase, and that every cop car in their fleet is almost certainly equipped with a dashcam? And that generally multiple units are deployed during a vehicle pursuit?

But okay, I'll play. Let's say they go "Oops, all the cameras were busted, no footage." So what, no one else witnessed this chase? No other drivers? No nearby pedestrians? No transit cameras? No cameras on nearby businesses? Or did they wait until literally no one was around and then take the guy out to get back at her? The fix is in and all those people are going to lie and all those cameras are going to be gimmicked?

Or the driver they were chasing was really a cop and the whole thing was faked? You really think something like that could be kept quiet on a force where multiple people testified against Chauvin to assist the prosecution in putting him away?

Wow. Just wow.

ret5hd

(20,433 posts)
18. No, I think it is possible (likely) that...
Wed Jul 7, 2021, 08:39 PM
Jul 2021

the cop was speeding for his own reasons, killed somebody, then a story was concocted.

In my city a few years back, a mentally disabled guy t-boned a cop car at an intersection and severely injured the cop. Many years in prison sentence. His family finally got a private investigator of some sort to listen—the mentally disabled guy had the right-of-way, and the cop was speeding and blew the stop sign just because he could…no hot pursuit no calls. But during the entire deal, him and the PD were saying he was “rushing to assist…” or some such phrasing.

Hey, 911 tapes/dispatch tapes/radio communication logs will clear this right up, correct? Let’s see ‘em.

Jedi Guy

(3,171 posts)
19. Yes, that's kind of my entire point.
Wed Jul 7, 2021, 08:58 PM
Jul 2021

Concocting a lie that there was a chase when there wasn't would fall apart pretty much instantly, given all the evidence they should be able to produce. The odds of this being a cover-up are pretty much zero, in my opinion.

Can you provide a source regarding the incident that happened in your city?

NH Ethylene

(30,793 posts)
8. Could he actually be charged?
Wed Jul 7, 2021, 05:51 PM
Jul 2021

If the cops hadn't chased to the point of endangering lives, it would not have happened.

Is a person who flees legally responsible for bad things happening due - not to his action - but to the response to his action?

ripcord

(5,081 posts)
12. I don't see why not
Wed Jul 7, 2021, 06:43 PM
Jul 2021

If an injury or death occurs during the commission of a crime the person committing the crime can be charged, running from the police is a crime.

Jedi Guy

(3,171 posts)
23. As far as I know, yes, he can be charged.
Wed Jul 7, 2021, 09:53 PM
Jul 2021

The chain of events began with his decision to attempt to flee and resist arrest, which is a crime. Any injuries or fatalities as a result of and during the commission of that crime can and usually do result in additional charges.

Doesn't mean the family won't/can't sue the department and the city, though, and odds are they'll win. I expect the officer will have qualified immunity so they won't be able to sue him/her personally.

The only way I'd see the family losing a civil suit would be if it wasn't humanly possible for the officer to avoid the collision or if the guy who was killed was at fault for failure to yield or something like that.

Jedi Guy

(3,171 posts)
24. So you think they deliberately killed him to get back at her?
Wed Jul 7, 2021, 09:57 PM
Jul 2021

Please see my post, #17. That line of thinking is absolute lunacy. Wow. Just wow.

iluvtennis

(19,756 posts)
7. OMG, so much tragedy for the Frazier family. In my opinion, all cop car/motorcycle chases should
Wed Jul 7, 2021, 05:50 PM
Jul 2021

be banned. The culprits can be caught another way. Get their license information and proceed from there to capture them.

NH Ethylene

(30,793 posts)
9. TOTALLY agree!!
Wed Jul 7, 2021, 05:54 PM
Jul 2021

My daughter recently had a close call with a cop car going by on a chase. The lives of her and her two small children were endangered because of a cop's ego.

Jedi Guy

(3,171 posts)
16. That's a heck of an assumption.
Wed Jul 7, 2021, 08:08 PM
Jul 2021

Do you know why the cop was chasing the guy? Sure, it might have been because he ran a red light. It might also have been because he just killed or raped someone. Assuming it was because of the cop's ego is a hell of a jump to the conclusion.

NH Ethylene

(30,793 posts)
20. I did find out why and there was no rape or murder.
Wed Jul 7, 2021, 09:07 PM
Jul 2021

I don't think there should be a car chase unless there is clear information that the person running is wanted for a violent crime and could be expected to continue to pose an immediate danger to others.

Those are the only conditions in which the risk to the public is justified.

Jedi Guy

(3,171 posts)
21. Fair enough, and agreed. That was how my department handled pursuits when I was a dispatcher.
Wed Jul 7, 2021, 09:12 PM
Jul 2021

They'd never authorize pursuit for something like property crime or fleeing from a traffic stop. There had to be reasonable suspicion or certain knowledge that the person had committed a violent crime involving a weapon, so even barehanded physical assaults wouldn't result in a pursuit if the suspect fled in a vehicle.

Jedi Guy

(3,171 posts)
14. Yeah, no.
Wed Jul 7, 2021, 08:04 PM
Jul 2021

Some people need to be caught right then and there. The trick is determining when to pursue and when to leave well enough alone.

The pursuit policy for the department I worked for was that pursuit was only authorized if the suspect had committed a violent crime that involved a weapon. Property crime never resulted in pursuits.

I haven't read the full article so I don't know if the suspect here used weapons in the robberies, but if he did, pursuit wasn't unreasonable, in my opinion. Letting him go may result in him killing someone during his next robbery.

And naturally, if they had let him go and he'd then gone on to rob and kill someone, the question would be, "Why didn't they catch him?? Why'd they let him go??"

FailureToCommunicate

(13,988 posts)
11. High speed police chases have killed and maimed so many innocent victims, of all colors. Insane that
Wed Jul 7, 2021, 06:32 PM
Jul 2021

police -fueled by testosterone - chase even misdemeanors, like a stop sign "failure to come to a complete stop", and too often end up dealing out a death sentence for the perp AND innocent others in the path of the chase/

Just insane.
And tragic.
And avoidable.

So awful that this happened, yet again, to this family.

Latest Discussions»Latest Breaking News»Darnella Frazier's uncle ...