UNARMED 15 Year Old Black Boy Shot Dead by Dallas Transit Police

A Dallas Area Rapid Transit officer shot and killed an unarmed 15-year-old boy who police said leapt from the bushes and attacked an officer at an Oak Cliff light-rail station early Sunday morning. It was the first fatal shooting by a DART police officer in the department's 18-year history, officials said. On Sunday afternoon, Dallas police called it an act of self-defense by Officer Niksha Owens, who feared for her life as she watched Bobby Walker attack her colleague and ignore warnings to back down. "According to the witnesses, when this man – this young child – was attacking the DART police officer ... he yelled profanities and said he was going to kill her," said Dallas police Senior Cpl. Janice Crowther. "He repeatedly said he was going to kill her." But Bobby's distraught mother, Temeka Walker, said Sunday night that police used excessive force against her son. "They could've at least held him down," said Ms. Walker, 30. "Mace him. Hit him." Ms. Walker said Bobby, a Carter High School freshman, took medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and ran away from home Thursday, as he had several times in the past. She said she called Dallas police several times, but they would not issue a missing-person alert because of his history of running away. The fatal confrontation with the DART officers lasted less than a minute, police said. About 3:20 a.m., Officer Owens and Officer Stephanie Branch were walking on the platform of the station at Ledbetter Drive and Lancaster Road in east Oak Cliff when Bobby attacked Officer Branch, Cpl. Crowther said. "When the suspect attacked Officer Branch, he did grab her around the neck and grab her around the arms and she felt like he was attempting to take her weapon," Cpl. Crowther said. "She was able to push him off and then ask him, give him verbal commands, to stop his attack and to get down." Officer Owens drew her weapon and both officers continued to ask Bobby to back down, Cpl. Crowther said. He refused and Officer Owens shot him once in the neck, police said. Bobby was pronounced dead at Methodist Dallas Medical Center about 4 a.m., DART spokesman Morgan Lyons said. The officers were not injured, he said. Dallas police Sgt. Gary Kirkpatrick, who is investigating the shooting, said there is no indication Bobby was armed. Both DART officers were put on administrative leave with pay, pending an internal investigation, as is customary in police-involved shootings, Mr. Lyons said. Both officers have been with the department for about two years and do not have any prior disciplinary records, Mr. Lyons said. [MORE]

Some questions about the 15 year-old shot and killed by DART police officer
By Shawn Williams

Another young black male has died at the hand of gunfire, this time by a Dallas Area Rapid Transit Police officer. 15 year-old Bobby Walker was fatally shot around 3:20 a.m. on Sunday morning at the Ledbetter Station near the VA Hospital.

According to Monday's Dallas Morning News article, the Carter High freshman "leapt from the bushes" and attacked DART officer Stephanie Branch before being shot by officer Niksha Owens. Walker was pronounced dead at Methodist Dallas Medical Center about 4 a.m.

I don't want to rush to any judgments here, so I have a few questions:

1. Did the 2nd officer try to physically intervene before resorting to fatal gunfire?

2. Did the shooting officer at any point feel as if she had a non-fatal shot at the suspect without endangering the officer?

3. What is a 15 year-old boy doing out at 3:20 a.m.?

4. Shouldn't two police officers generally be able to subdue one juvenile suspect?

5. What was the ethnicity of the two officers? It ALWAYS matters.

I will reserve commentary for a later date , but for now I pray for the families of Bobby Walker and the officer who fatally shot him. [more]