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On March 18, 17-year-old Dalaneo Martin was gunned down by authorities in Washington DC. On April 4, the Metropolitan Police Department released footage of the incident, causing outrage among the American public. As stated by authorities, officers discovered Dalaneo Martin sleeping inside a stolen car.
When the officers entered the vehicle and began choking him in an effort to restrain him, Martin started driving, causing one officer to fall out of the car. The other officer proceeded to fatally shoot Martin, leading to a crash. While Martin was confirmed dead at the scene, both officers remained unharmed in the incident.
Netizens, however, have questioned why officers were unable to deal with the situation without the use of lethal force. They claimed that since Martin was found sleeping, the authorities should have been able to detain him peacefully.
As per the New York Post, Dalaneo Martin was a father with a young son. His shooting has sparked protests across DC. Jade Mathis, a lawyer representing his family, has requested that the officer involved in the fatal shooting be identified and prosecuted.
Officials and relatives respond to the death of Dalaneo Martin
According to the Metropolitan Police Department, the two officers who were at the scene of Dalaneo Martin's death are currently on leave. Authorities have launched an internal investigation in order to determine whether the shooting was justified.
While Dalaneo Martin's mother, Terra Martin, acknowledged her son's potential involvement in a car theft, she questioned why authorities could not have used a taser rather than a gun.
Terra Martin argued that the officers entered the vehicle because they had malicious intent.
She said:
"This pain hurts so bad. I just want justice for my son. I need the officers to be [locked-up] all of them that played a role. He got in that car because he had another motive for my son."
Martin's family lawyer, Jade Mathis, said that authorities provoked a dangerous situation by choking Martin in order to wake him up, leading him to panic. She also argued that the shooting may have been racially motivated.
As per WUSA 9, Metropolitan Police Department officials noted that in such a case, it is against regulations for officers to either block a car's path of pursuit, or to enter the vehicle. However, they did not officially state whether or not seniors determined that the officers involved in the case had violated department policies.
In an official statement, the US Attorney's office said that they have launched a civil rights investigation into Martin's death.
The statement read:
“The loss of a life is always tragic but is especially heartbreaking when it involves a child. In coordination with the FBI Washington Field Office, the United States Attorney’s Office has opened a civil rights investigation into the circumstances leading to Mr. Martin’s death.”
Officials have not disclosed the names of the officers involved in the case.
