In what appears to be another alleged case of police brutality in the United States, a deaf mute man has been fatally shot by a cop because of a simple violation – he was pulled over for speeding.
News reports tell us that 29-year-old Daniel Kevin Harris has allegedly been gunned after police officers followed recently in Charlotte, North Carolina. “After a brief pursuit,” Unilad tells us, “Daniel stopped and immediately started communicating via sign language to police officer Jermaine Saunders.”
Photo credits: Facebook
The site further tells us that “instead of de-escalating the situation, Jermaine fired a shot at an unarmed Daniel and he died at the scene.” Witnesses say that Daniel was waving his arms but the officers shot him ‘almost immediately’ when he got out of his car.
The deaf and mute father left behind a 4-year-old son.
Photo credits: Facebook
Daniel’s brother, Jay, lamented:
Jay, Daniel’s brother, said:
“He was unarmed – and he is a deaf individual, and I think that he was just afraid. He could not hear their warnings. He could not hear their commands to stop or to stay away from them.”
Their mother, on the other hand, was rushed to the hospital following a heart problem when she heard about the incident. “He was shot, and now we’re left with nothing,” added Jay.
Photo credits: Facebook
Saunders claims Daniel wasn’t following orders and was advancing on them so he had to do something. He has since been placed on administrative leave.
Meanwhile, Daniel’s family is currently raising funds online to cover for his memorial and cremation expenses.
Watch the video report here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoBZpSVN8fM
What Is Sign Language?
“Deaf people around the world communicate using sign language as distinct from spoken language in their every day lives,” said the World Federation of the Deaf. “A Sign Language is a visual language that uses a system of manual, facial and body movements as the means of communication.”
The site further mentioned:
“Sign language is not an universal language, and different sign languages are used in different countries, like the many spoken languages all over the world. Some countries such as Belgium, the UK, the USA or India may have more than one sign language. Hundreds of sign languages are in used around the world, for instance, Japanese Sign Language, (or Nihon Shuwa, JSL), British Sign Language (BSL), Spanish Sign Language (Lengua de signos o señas española, or LSE), Turkish Sign Language (or Türk İşaret Dili, TID).”