Say Their Names

Breonna Taylor - 26

Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old African-American emergency medical technician, was fatally shot by three plainclothes police officers from the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD)while carrying out a no-knock search warrant. Gunfire was exchanged between Taylor's boyfriend Kenneth Walker and the officers. Walker said that he believed that the officers were intruders. The LMPD officers fired over twenty shots. Taylor was shot eight times and killed. Louisville went on to ban no-knock warrants, but no arrests or charges have been made in relation to Breonna Taylor’s murder.

Elijah McClain - 23

Elijah McClain was a 23-year-old African-American massage therapist from Aurora, Colorado, who died following an encounter with the police while walking home on August 24, 2019. An Aurora citizen reported to police that McClain was wearing a ski mask and acting "sketchy", although the caller also indicated that he did not believe anyone was in danger, and that he believed McClain was unarmed. The three police officers who were involved in the incident, Nathan Woodyard, Jason Rosenblatt and Randy Roedema, said that their body cameras were knocked off during a struggle with McClain. McClain was forcibly held to the ground with his hands cuffed behind his back, after which an officer applied a chokehold and paramedics administered ketamine to McClain to sedate him. While being transported to the hospital McClain went into cardiac arrest. Over a year after his murder, no arrests or charges have been made in this case.

George Floyd - 46

On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old black American man, was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an arrest for allegedly using a counterfeit bill. Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, knelt on Floyd's neck for almost eight minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and lying face down, begging for his life and repeatedly saying "I can't breathe". Officers J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane further restrained Floyd, while officer Tou Thao prevented bystanders from intervening. During the final two minutes, Floyd was motionless and had no pulse while Chauvin ignored onlookers' pleas to remove his knee, which he did not do until medics told him to. Chauvin’s knee was on George Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds and he would later die shortly later in police custody.

Ahmaud Arbery - 25

On February 23, 2020, Ahmaud Marquez Arbery, an unarmed 25-year-old African-American man, was fatally shot near Brunswick, Georgia, while jogging in his neighborhood. Ahmaud had been pursued and confronted by three white residents, Travis McMichael and his father Gregory, who were armed and driving a pickup truck, and William "Roddie" Bryan, who followed Ahmaud in a second vehicle and trapped him on the road. He took a video of the confrontation by the McMichaels. It took the national outcry after seen the video of Ahmaud Arbery being killed for any arrest or charged to be brought in this case 74 day later.

Tamir Rice - 12

Tamir Rice was playing with an airsoft gun in a park when police pulled up an within 2 seconds shot and killed Tamir.
A 9-1-1 caller, who was sitting in a nearby gazebo, reported that someone, possibly a juvenile, was pointing "a pistol" at random people at the Cudell Recreation Center. The caller twice said that the gun was "probably fake." According to police spokesmen, it was initially unclear whether or not that information had been relayed to the dispatched officers, Loehmann and Garmback, and it was later revealed that the dispatcher had not elaborated beyond referencing "a gun." According to one report, the 9-1-1 responder twice asked whether the boy was black or white before dispatching officers to the park at around 3:30 p.m. The actual recording of the phone call reveals that the 9-1-1 responder asked whether the boy was black or white three times; however, the question was repeated only after the caller continued describing the color of Rice's clothing. The caller then left the gazebo, and Rice sat down in it sometime later. According to information reported to the press on the day of the shooting by Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association President Jeffrey Follmer, "the officers pulled into the parking lot and saw a few people sitting underneath a pavilion next to the center. Loehmann saw a black gun sitting on the table, and he saw the boy pick up the gun and put it in his waistband." Also on that date, Cleveland Deputy Chief Tomba stated, "The officer got out of the car and told the boy to put his hands up. The boy reached into his waistband, pulled out the gun and Loehmann fired two shots." According to Chief Tomba, "the child did not threaten the officer verbally or physically." On November 26, the day a video of the shooting was released, Chief Tomba is quoted as saying, "Loehmann shouted from the car three times at Tamir to show his hands as he approached the car." The entire incident happened in less than two seconds. The officers later found that the gun was an Airsoft gun which had had its orange safety tip removed. These weapons are actual size replicas of real guns, designed to shoot non-lethal plastic pellets.

Trayvon Martin - 17

On February 26, Trayvon Martin, a Miami high school student, was in Sanford visiting his father. Dressed in a hooded sweatshirt, the teen was on his way back to the home of his father’s fiancée, after buying a bag of Skittles and a bottle of juice, when he was spotted by Zimmerman, the captain of the neighborhood patrol at the Retreat at Twin Lakes, which recently had experienced a series of break-ins and burglaries. Zimmerman called the non-emergency line of the Sanford police to report that Martin looked suspicious then ignored a police dispatcher’s advice not to follow the young man. Moments later, gunfire rang out. When officers arrived, Martin was dead at the scene. Zimmerman, who had a bloody nose and cuts on the back of his head, was questioned then released. There were no eyewitnesses to the shooting, and police chose not to arrest Zimmerman, who claimed to have acted in self-defense. Zimmerman would later be aquitted in the killing of Trayvon.

Philando Castile - 32

On July 6, 2016, Philando Castile, was a 32-year-old African American man who was fatally shot during a traffic stop by police officer Jeronimo Yanez, a 28-year-old Hispanic member of the St. Anthony, Minnesota police department. Castile was driving with his partner, Diamond Reynolds, and her four-year-old daughter when at 9:00 p.m. he was pulled over by Yanez and another officer in Falcon Heights, a suburb of Saint Paul, Minnesota. After being asked for his license and registration, Castile told Officer Yanez that he had a licensed firearm. After a brief exchange in which Yanez told Castile "not to reach for it" and Castile replied that he would not, Yanez fired seven close-range shots at Castile, hitting him five times. Castile died of his wounds at 9:37 p.m. at Hennepin County Medical Center, about 20 minutes after being shot. The police officer involved would later be aquitted of all charges.

Corey Jones - 31

Corey Jones was a man who was killed by a plainclothes police officer, Nouman K. Raja, while waiting by his disabled car, for a tow truck, in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Raja, who was in plainclothes and in an unmarked white van, approached Jones, who was waiting by his disabled vehicle on a highway exit ramp. Within seconds, Raja fired six shots at Jones, striking him three times. After the shooting, Raja falsely claimed to investigators that he had identified himself as a police officer and shot Jones in self-defense; both assertions were disproved by an audio recording of the fatal shooting. Jones' body was found a good distance – 80–100 feet (24–30 m) – away from the vehicle, from which he appeared to have run. Jones had a .380-caliber gun, which he had purchased three days prior to the shooting and for which he had a concealed carry license. It was found on the ground between Jones' body and his car and had not been discharged. The office would be found guilty of manslaughter by culpable negligence and attempted first-degree murder with a firearm and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Laquan McDonald - 17

The murder of Laquan McDonald took place on October 20, 2014, in Chicago, Illinois, when the 17-year-old African American was fatally shot by Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke. Police had initially reported that McDonald was behaving erratically while walking down the street, refusing to put down a knife he was carrying. Preliminary internal police reports described the incident similarly, leading to the incident being judged a justifiable shooting and to Van Dyke not being charged at that time. When a court ordered the police to release a dash cam video of the shooting thirteen months later, on November 24, 2015, it showed McDonald had been walking away from the police when he was shot. That same day, Officer Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder and initially held without bail at the Cook County Jail. He was released on bail on November 30. The city reached a settlement with McDonald's family. On October 5, 2018, Van Dyke was found guilty of second-degree murder, as well as 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm.

Freddie Gray - 25

On April 12, 2015, Freddie Carlos Gray Jr., a 25-year-old African-American was wrongfully arrested and died due to injuries inflicted during transport through severe negligence from the police officers involved. As Freddie saw police presence and started to run, police stopped him for suspicion which followed in his arrest for having an illegal knife on him which was later proven to be legal. Before being transported, Freddie has asked on multiple occasions for an inhaler and medical help as he was having trouble breathing. Not only was he denied medical treatment, but while being transported the police stopped to pick up another suspect, further delaying medical attention. While being transported, Freddie was had his hands cuffed behind his back and was loaded into the van head first on his stomach. Police failed to secure Freddie for transport which resulted in 3 vertebrae in his neck being fractured and ultimately his death. After investigation, all 6 police officers involved were found guilty in Freddie’s death.

Yvette Smith - 46

On the 16th of January 2014, mother of 3 Yvette Smith was shot in her friend’s home by Daniel Willis, the officer coming to settle a disturbance. She was trying to stop a disagreement between a father and son by calling 911.

The disagreement was settled before the officers arrived. The owner of the home Mr. Willie Thomas was outside when police arrived and demanded all other residents come outside as well. Yvette Smith was shot three seconds after the door was opened as shown by body camera footage. She was shot twice by the deputy sheriff’s with his personal AR-15 semi automatic assault rifle. The officers claimed she threatened them with a gun despite no weapons being found within the home. The dispatcher claimed the opposite and Thomas said it was false information. The police statement said Yvette was disregarding the officers’ orders and carrying a firearm. The police officer was aquitted of all charges in this case.

Walter Scott - 50

On April 4, 2015, around 9:30 a.m., Scott pulled his car into a parking lot. As he was parking, Officer Slager stopped him for a nonfunctioning brake light. Slager’s patrol car dashcam recorded him approaching Scott’s car and speaking to Scott. When Slager returned to his car, Scott exited his vehicle and started to flee. Slager chased on foot and fired his Taser at Scott. The chase continued into a lot behind a pawnshop at 5654 Rivers Avenue where the men got into a physical altercation. Slager again fired his Taser but Scott ran away. Slager then drew his handgun and fired eight rounds at Scott. Five rounds hit Scott, including three in the back, killing him.

Michael Brown - 18

On August 9, 2014, Michael Brown Jr., an 18-year-old black man, was fatally shot by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the city of Ferguson, Missouri. Brown was accompanied by his 22-year-old friend Dorian Johnson. Johnson claimed that Wilson initiated a confrontation by grabbing Brown by the neck through his car window, threatening him and then shooting at him. At this point, Brown and Johnson fled, with Wilson pursuing Brown shortly thereafter. Wilson stated that Brown stopped and charged him after a short pursuit. Johnson contradicted this account, stating that Brown turned around with his hands raised after Wilson shot at his back. According to Johnson, Wilson then shot Brown multiple times until Brown fell to the ground. In the entire altercation, Wilson fired a total of twelve bullets, including twice during the struggle in the car; the last was probably the fatal shot. Brown was struck six times, all in the front of his body. No charges would ever be brough against Wilson in relation to Michael Brown's death.

Alton Sterling - 37

On July 5, 2016, Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old black man, was shot dead at close range by two white Baton Rouge Police Department officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Police were responding to a report that a man in a red shirt was selling CDs and that he had used a gun to threaten a man outside a convenience store. The owner of the store where the shooting occurred said that Sterling had started carrying a gun a few days prior to the event as other CD vendors had been robbed recently. He also said that Sterling was "not the one causing trouble" during the situation that led to the police being called. While attempting to control Sterling, the officers saw the gun in Sterling's waistband which resulted in him being shot to death.

Amadou Diallo - 23

In the early morning of February 4, 1999, Diallo was standing near his building after returning from a meal. At about 12:40 a.m., police officers Edward McMellon, Sean Carroll, Kenneth Boss and Richard Murphy – all in plain clothes – drove by. Carroll later claimed that Diallo matched the general description of a serial rapist reported a year earlier, or that he might have been a "lookout". The officers later claimed that, Diallo ran up the outside steps toward his apartment house doorway at their approach, ignoring their orders to stop and 'show his hands'. The porch lightbulb was out and Diallo was backlit by the inside vestibule light, showing only a silhouette. Diallo then reached into his jacket and withdrew his wallet. Seeing the man holding a small square object, Carroll yelled 'Gun!' to alert his colleagues. The officers opened fire on Diallo, claiming that they believed he was holding a gun. During the shooting, lead officer McMellon tripped backward off the front stairs, causing the other officers to believe he had been shot. However, a witness testified that they shot with no warning. The four officers fired 41 shots with semi-automatic pistols, striking Diallo 19 times. The investigation found no weapons on or near Diallo; what he had pulled out of his jacket was a wallet. Charges for all officers involved would later be aquitted.

Oscar Grant - 22

Oscar Grant III was a 22-year-old African-American man who was killed in the early morning hours of New Year's Day 2008 by BART Police Officer Johannes Mehserle in Oakland, California. Responding to reports of a fight on a crowded Bay Area Rapid Transit train returning from San Francisco, BART Police officers detained Grant and several other passengers on the platform at the Fruitvale BART Station. BART officer Anthony Pirone kneed Grant in the head and forced the unarmed Grant to lie face down on the platform. While Pirone held Grant down in a prone position, Mehserle drew his pistol and shot Grant in the back. Grant was rushed to Highland Hospital in Oakland and pronounced dead later that day. The officer involved was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter.

Atatiana Jefferson - 28

Atatiana Koquice Jefferson, a 28-year-old woman, was fatally shot in her home by a police officer in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, in the early morning of October 12, 2019. Police arrived at her home after a neighbor called a non-emergency number, stating that Jefferson's front door was open. Police body camera footage showed that when she came to her window to observe police outside her home, Officer Aaron Dean shot through it and killed her. On October 14, 2019, Dean resigned from the Fort Worth Police Department and was arrested on a murder charge. On December 20, 2019, Dean was indicted for murder.

Jordan Davis - 17

In 2012 Jordan Russell Davis, a seventeen-year-old high school student in Jacksonville, Florida, was shot and killed by Michael David Dunn, a software developer, following an argument between the two of them over loud music. According to Dunn, Davis threatened to kill him and opened his car door and pointed what appeared to be a shotgun. Dunn took his handgun from the glove compartment of his car and began to fire at Davis. The bullets hit Davis in the legs, lungs, and heart. Dunn opened his car door, got out of his vehicle and continued to fire at Davis, claiming he feared for his safety. After the shooting, Stornes drove Jordan Davis, who was still alive, a short distance to a nearby parking lot to get away from Dunn. Dunn’s girlfriend Rhonda Rouer returned to the car and then the couple went back into the convenience store and ordered pizza. Rouer later testified in trial that Dunn never mentioned the shooting to her. On February 18, Dunn was arrested by Jacksonville police after investigators found no weapons in the SUV Davis was in. Dunn would later be found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.

Eric Garner - 43

NYPD officers approached Garner on July 17 on suspicion of selling single cigarettes from packs without tax stamps. After Garner told the police that he was tired of being harassed and that he was not selling cigarettes, the officers attempted to arrest Garner. When Pantaleo placed his hands on Garner, Garner pulled his arms away. Pantaleo then placed his arm around Garner's neck and wrestled him to the ground. With multiple officers pinning him down, Garner repeated the words "I can't breathe" 11 times while lying face down on the sidewalk. After Garner lost consciousness, he remained lying on the sidewalk for seven minutes while the officers waited for an ambulance to arrive. Garner was pronounced dead at an area hospital approximately one hour later. No charges were ever brought in the murder of Eric Garner.

Stephon Clark - 22

Stephon Clark was at his grandparents’ home on March 18 when two Sacramento police officers rolled up on him while doing a canvass of the neighborhood for a man who was breaking car windows. The two officers gave Clark four seconds to comply with their commands before they fired 20 shots, killing him in the backyard. A Sacramento sheriff said that Clark was armed with a crowbar, however the only item found on Clark was his cellphone. There was no weapon, and Clark was on his stomach when police finally did attend to him. He was 22 and the father of two little boys. No charges were ever brought against the two officers involved in Stephon's death.

Aiyana Stanley-Jones - 7

Seven-year-old Aiyana Jones was sleeping on the couch next to her grandmother in their Detroit, Michigan home when a SWAT team threw a flashbang through the window, which landed on her blanket. Seconds after Aiyana's blanket caught fire, the SWAT team stormed through the door, and mistakenly shot Aiyana through the neck, killing her.

Botham Jean - 26

On September 6, 2018, off-duty Dallas Police Department patrol officer Amber Guyger entered the Dallas, Texas, apartment of 26-year-old accountant Botham Jean and fatally shot him. Guyger said that she had entered the apartment believing it was her own and that she shot Jean believing he was a burglar. Guyger was found guilty of murder and received a sentence of ten years in prison.

Michael Dean - 28

On December 2, 2019, Michael Lorenzo Dean, a 28-year-old black man, was shot dead at close range during a traffic stop. As the officer approached Dean's car with his gun drawn, he asked Dean turn off his car and hand over the keys. As Dean handed over his keys, the officer's gun discharged, killing Michael Dean.

Timothy Caughman - 66

On March 20, 2017, Timothy Caughman, a black 66-year-old man, was collecting cans for recycling in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City when James Harris Jackson, a white 28-year-old man, approached him and stabbed him multiple times with a sword. Caughman later died of his injuries. Jackson subsequently turned himself in to police custody and confirmed that he traveled from Maryland to New York with the intention of killing black men in order to prevent white women from having interracial relationships with them.