I’ve somehow made it through almost 43 years without a law enforcement officer shooting me. Maybe it’s because my reaction to seeing someone wearing a badge is a cordial nod, not pulling a gun on them.
Then again, I’m no Ledarius Williams.
A suspect has died after an officer-involved shooting in south St. Louis city’s Dutchtown neighborhood.
Police say around 3:30 Tuesday afternoon two patrol officers were in the area of Meramec and Minnesota and spotted Ledarius Williams. Officers say the 23-year-old suspect took off running, holding his waistband.
Police Chief Sam Dotson says when the officers caught up with him, a struggle ensued and Williams pulled out a handgun.
Police say Williams pointed the gun at the officers and that’s when an officer fired at him. Williams was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
No officers were injured in the shooting.
A Springfield Armory 45 caliber gun was recovered at the scene. Police say the gun was reported stolen from Alabama in May 2013.
Williams’s story is just the latest example showing how how our revolving door criminal justice system fails to keep the public safe. He was sent away for a theoretical 14 years in 2009 for the last time he pulled a gun on officers. He was paroled after serving less than half of his sentence.
Predictably, the far left radicals of the “Ferguson” movement are ignoring reality in order to use the shooting in an attempt to stir up social unrest.
#IsaacHolmes was just buried Monday,& we have another murder by #STLPD cover up these murders with more murder #LedariusWilliams
— Bassem Masri (@bassem_masri) February 4, 2015
In Masri-speak “murder” is any killing of a black male by a law enforcement, regardless of the reason.
It is right in the police report: we killed #LedariusWilliams because at first he was acting suspiciously. — No Justice No Peace (@drumbeats4peace) February 4, 2015
Actually, I’m pretty sure Williams was approached for acting suspiciously, chased for evading arrest, and then shot for pointing a gun at police officers for the second time in less than six years. Williams was what you might call a “slow learner.”
Ever eager to add fuel to the fire, other activists are chiming in to help craft a fantasy narrative. One woman attempted to claim that officers planted the weapon recovered from Williams’s body with a “slandered” (standard) issue police firearm.
Detective just shook his head and confirmed it was a slandered issued gun they just took in back and brought it back to scene! #Ferguson
— CheyIsLoved (@Ms_Workes) February 3, 2015
The same person then asserted that Williams’s gun was a cell phone.
They just retrieved cell phone of the boy!! #Ferguson — CheyIsLoved (@Ms_Workes) February 3, 2015
That’s a might interesting cell phone, isn’t it?
Check @kodacohen for picture of the gun. BEST PICTURE OF THE GUN pic.twitter.com/ivUDtK3lZJ
— Search4Swag (@search4swag) February 3, 2015
I was unaware that Springfield Armory was making phones, but I guess you learn something new every day.
It is very sad to me that so many of these “activists” seem far more interested in stirring up racial discord and finding excuses to riot than they are interested in teaching people how to interact with law enforcement officers and the general population in a harmonious manner.
These sad souls aren’t working for civil rights nor equality. They instead seem to be attempting to assert that deadly criminal activity should not be countered at any price. Frankly, I think they’re insane.
Neither officer involved in the incident was injured, and we’re glad that they were able to neutralize the threat before Williams had an opportunity to fire his weapon.
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