Drug War Issues
A Southhaven, Mississippi, man arrested for marijuana by police in nearby Jonesboro, Arkansas, was shot and killed as he sat handcuffed in the back of a squad car Saturday. Chavis Carter, 21, becomes the 37th person to die in US domestic drug law enforcement operations so far this year.
Chavis Carter (facebook.com)
Carter was sitting in the police car, and when police learned he had an outstanding warrant, Marsh had Carter "exit the patrol unit, placed him into handcuffs, searched him a second time then placed him into the back seat of the patrol unit."
As the two officers walked back toward the police car, Officer Baggett said a car passed and then he heard "a loud thump with a metallic sound." After questioning and releasing the other two men, Officer Marsh reportedly returned to his vehicle while Officer Baggett said he prepared to leave the scene. He then heard "several thumps" on his trunk and saw Officer Marsh motioning for him and saying that Carter had shot himself.
They opened the rear passenger door and found him in a "sitting position slumped forward with his head in his lap." According to Officer Marsh, Carter's hands were still cuffed behind his back and small-caliber handgun was found beside him.
Jonesboro Police Sgt. Lyle Waterworth told WREG-TV in nearby Memphis that Carter had been searched, but that searches don't always find everything. "As protocol he was handcuffed behind his back and double locked, and searched”, said Waterworth, "Any given officer has missed something on a search, be it drugs, knife, razor blades, this instance it happened to be a gun."
Officers Baggett and Marsh are on administrative leave pending an investigation, but the police are leaning toward the theory that Carter shot himself with a gun they had missed while his hands were cuffed behind his back.
His mother, Teresa Carter, isn't buying it. "I think they killed him, my son wasn't suicidal," she said.
She said Chavis had called his girlfriend while being pulled over to say that he would call her from jail. She also said police told her Chavis had been shot in the right temple, but that he was left-handed.
Permission to Reprint: This content is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license. Content of a purely educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise noted.
Comments
I don't buy it either.
Sound like evil, wicked, murderous horseshit. And
they always seem to get away with it you know?
A real license to kill. Beyond outrageous.
accidental discharge while
accidental discharge while fumbling for it while handcuffed? its possible.
legalize cannabis.
In reply to accidental discharge while by joemomma (not verified)
either way, legalize it
Either way, you're right to say "legalize cannabis."
Among other reasons, legalize it to shut down these
fucking killer cops. Take away a big weapon from
these hooded, badged, murderers. Cannabis is not
a crime.
In reply to accidental discharge while by joemomma (not verified)
Man comits Suicide while handcuffed by JPD
The more I here about JPD and the public allowing them to get away with more and more disgust me about the community AND the Jonesboro COP ( criminals on patrol) Department . The mayor needs to fire all the COPs there and Find Some Police.
From the readings Where was the search warrant for the preliminary search? Also it stated the Automobile was searched without Warrant. But the JPD can do what ever they want as they are making their on Constitution and Law as they go ignoring the training in Basic Law in a Police academy. I took a basic Criminal Law course in the navy .
You have to be joking the JPD uses the excuse the super man Carter could shoot himself in the right side of his head while handcuffed in the back, and the super flexible amazement to be left handed to fire that weapon into his right temple.. Does JPD want the public to think we have a more outrageous event than the zombies in Florida that eats Faces? Citizens you are being taken as fools not just In Jonesboro Arkansas but every where because the authorities all the way to Washington knows you will never rise up and question events and or demand the termination of those in bad behavior . When you ignore this you ask for lose in freedoms!
Here you go.. He was
Here you go.. He was handcuffed BEHIND his back and he shot himself in the left temple. I don't know about you but when I have been hand cuffed behind my back I was Never able to reach enough to get anything near my head. The Cops there are corrupt and the PD Isn't proving they are any better by agreeing with the Police officers "story".
In reply to Here you go.. He was by Nathan Kennedy (not verified)
right temple not left sorry
right temple not left sorry for the typo
In reply to Here you go.. He was by Nathan Kennedy (not verified)
Crazy isn't it? There is NO
Crazy isn't it? There is NO way he killed himself. There are so many questionable statements that the officers have said. Everybody I've shared this story with has read or watched the news coverage over it and was like "Are you serious?". The headline of the story itself is very hard to believe, unless you are close minded or stupid. Chavis is a friend of me and my husband, I know i personally wrote all the major news channels and Nancy Grace about this because i wanted it to get the coverage it deserves! Everybody and myself included wants to know what REALLY happened to him and we want Justice for him!
In reply to Crazy isn't it? There is NO by Melissa White (not verified)
push for it
Agree with you Melissa. Get this out to mainstream news, exposing , at least one of many police who get away with whatever obstruction of justice/procedure they want to. In Chavis case, murder. I can not deal with police in the rural PA county I reside due to their arrogant manipulating bias conduct...it's difficult to actually do or say anything that places these idiots in any light less favourable. Always their version of events trumps in my area. Citizens need to exersize their rights and see that they get results in order to have these corrupt police taken out of society. Peace and good luck.
Another hancuffed man shot by police officer in Pennsylvania!
the police has a cameraÂ
the police has a camera running 24/7. lets see the tape PoPo!
Murder most foul.
This can not be anything but murder.
BS
More Cops getting away with murder i see........BS......hangcuffed behind the back and shot in the temple....give me a break. These idiot cops and the sum bag supervisors and sergeants should go straight to jail.........I grew up thinking police were honorable and helped the public......BS. Most cops are underachieving, dumbazz wimps that use the gun and badge to cover up that they are scared losers. Investigate this to the fullest........
Police are murderers.
Dont trust them. At all.
No way
In reply to No way by Loretta Nall (not verified)
Guns and Badges
No need for lightning bolts. This is an age-old story. Reminds me of the account in the 1950's of a young black male found dead in the rural south with 20 bullet holes in him. The police investigation concluded that it was the worst case of suicide they had ever seen. Cannabis users today are in the same place as blacks in the old South.
If they would legalize
If they would legalize cannabis so many issues could be resolved. The courts would have less of a case load to do all of the marijuana charges, jails would be half emptied, families would not be split-up making it necessary for one member to be in jail while the other getting public assistance or counseling for the kids left without a parent and the stigma to that child because Mom or Dad is bad... I could go on and on but just this could save the country so much money at the state or federal level. Did we not learn from prohibition? If everyone can grow there own where is the need for drug pushers and cartels involving cannabis? Just a common sense way of thinking maybe that's the problem... LOL
COPS SUCK!
this guy must have worked in the freak show of a carnival to get his arms out in front to shoot himself! there is no way he shot himself! i have been in cuffs plenty of times and i couldnt even scratch my ass if i tryed! these cops are all assholes that think they can hide behind a badge and do what they want! the whole world is fucked up!!
Bad Laws , Bad Cops
It sickens me , every time I hear about this sort of thing ....I'm not sure how cops can look the public in the eye and hold their heads up at the same time . There's a stench of corruption at every level in the police force. While accused officers are given every protection possible , the lowly masses have to navigate past these thugs on a daily basis , hoping not to catch their attention . Lest they become a victim of some cops self-righteous indignation . Poorly thought out laws ( I.E ...criminalization of cannabis ) only gives police more power , than they seem to be able to handle . And becomes a "catch all" for unwarranted search and seizures , that ends too many times in baseless charges , to justify the original search and seizure . The injury and death of people that have done nothing wrong , is a clear indication of a bad law made worse by individuals in government that don't want to admit they've done any harm to society . And that this useless "war on drugs" somehow makes things better. I hope they legalize cannabis sooner , rather than later . This just has to stop !!!
Makes me sad and very angry
I hope the media jumps on this - Oprah maybe?? This is the most bs story I have ever read. First, there was no reason to search his car and then, what motive would this young man have for suicide. He was on his way to see his girlfriend. So we are expected to believe that a young man on his way to see his girlfriend just decides to kill himself because he was getting busted for MJ?
Then, to top it off, we are told he shot himself while in handcuffs behind his back...??? There needs to be a full-scale investigation and these liars/killers should be tried for murder.
I think the drug war is just a way for racist cops to continue to commit crimes against minorities. As a middle class white, I thought racism was improving. Guess I was wrong. There is a long way to go, esp. for the police. Just tired of all the suffering when MJ is a very safe drug, much safe than alcohol. I feel sorry for this young man and his loved ones.
Makes me sad and very angry
I hope the media jumps on this - Oprah maybe?? This is the most bs story I have ever read. First, there was no reason to search his car and then, what motive would this young man have for suicide?He was on his way to see his girlfriend. So we are expected to believe that a young man just decides to kill himself because he was getting busted for MJ?
Then, to top it off, we are told he shot himself while in handcuffs behind his back...??? There needs to be a full-scale investigation and these liars/killers should be tried for murder.
I think the drug war is just a way for racist cops to continue to commit crimes against minorities. As a middle class white, I thought racism was improving. Guess I was wrong. There is a long way to go, esp. for the police. Just tired of all the suffering when MJ is a very safe drug, much safe than alcohol. I feel sorry for this young man and his loved ones.
In reply to Makes me sad and very angry by gemini44 (not verified)
I sure hope the media jumps on this, too
I just hope the cops aren't playing around with the evidence in the meantime. Yes, this cries out for thorough and credible investigation.
And it's one more tragedy that would have been prevented if marijuana was legal. Cannabis very rarely kills (were there ANY cannabis only impaired related deaths in this country so far this year?), but the war on cannabis users sure does kill.
Bull Shit
what gets me is how they claim they searched him and found the marijuana and the baggies on the man but didnt find the gun then yea like everyones been saying how dose he pull the gun out of where ever he had it hidden then shot him self in the right temple while his hands are cuffed behind his back thats impossible weather or not hes right handed or left handed it wouldnt be possible for him to get his hands in the possition needed to shot himself in the temple and im sure there would of been a louder sound that a thump and a matalic sound this whole story is bull shit and it would be a outrage to let these officers get off the hook for it they should be spending the next 25 to life in prison along with their supervisers that are trying to cover it up as well and another thing they shouldnt be on leave while its being investgated they should be held in jail till they make bail or its time to see a judge like any other person involed in any kind of crime
Where's the outrage? Â Did
Where's the outrage? Did people lose interest after Trayvon was killed? No rallies against this murder? Maybe it was a black cop, and the media only wants to tell stories that increase racial tension and racist opinions.
Searched twice, handcuffed behind his back in police car....
And shot. By whom?
What was that again? Did he shoot himself three or was it four times in the right temple?
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