And trial is scheduled to begin this week in south suburban Markham in the courtroom of Associate Judge Luciano Panici. A Park Forest police officer, Craig Taylor, stands accused of felony reckless conduct in connection with Wrana's death.
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| Veteran Wrana |
And he was in his room alone at an assisted living center in suburban Chicago on a night in July 2013. That's when five suburban cops rushed him.
One officer had a Taser and police riot shield, others had handguns, and one was armed with a 12-gauge Mossberg pump shotgun. The police said later they were afraid for their lives, though Wrana used a walker to get around.
What bothers me is that Taylor is the only cop charged by Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez.
There were others there with him. Police supervisors, others with higher rank.
Yes, Taylor pulled the trigger. He pumped the shotgun and pulled the trigger again and again, firing beanbag rounds at close range into the old man's guts, according to state investigators. So Taylor should wear the jacket, yes. But he wasn't in command. And he wasn't alone.
Unlike other, more celebrated police killings I mentioned above, the Wrana case hasn't generated all that much national attention, even though it is perhaps the perfect illustration of excessive force by law enforcement.
And someday perhaps, someone will explain to me why this one hasn't generated more discussion.
Full Article and Source:
WWII Vet's Death a Textbook Case of Excessive Force, but no Hashtag for Him
The cops were afraid of a 96 year old man? Come on!
ReplyDeleteIt's not racism in this case; it's ageism which is another form of discrimination. Only ageism doesn't get the publicity.
ReplyDeleteThanks to John Kass for keeping this tragedy in the news I noticed mainstream media is dead silent. I have to wonder what would have happened if the WWII Vet was African American and the copy was white?
ReplyDeletePersonally, I am outraged regardless of color of skin. Mr. Wrana was not a threat to anyone yet the cops on the scene used overkill when there were other options available that would have guaranteed a proper conclusion to the incident.
This is one of those cases I'll never forget nor will I forgive those who were involved.
This man was no threat to our police force who is young and healthy and that is obvious. I hope this case gets a lot of publicity.
ReplyDelete