Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire, outside the WSU Law School during a demonstration against police brutality and misconduct in the city of Detroit. A 7-year-old was killed the day before by the police. (Photo: Cheryl LaBash), a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
Theodore P. Wafer Charged With Second Degree Murder in Death of African American Woman
Renisha McBride, 19, was shot to death in Dearborn Heights on November 2
By Abayomi Azikiwe
Editor, Pan-African News Wire
A Dearborn Heights, Michigan homeowner, Theodore P. Wafer, has been charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of Renisha McBride, a 19-year-old African American woman who was recently employed by Ford Motor Company. McBride had been in a traffic accident and was seeking assistance when she walked on to the porch of Wafer and shot in the face with a shotgun.
The case has drawn the attention of people in metropolitan Detroit area as well as around the United States and indeed the world. Wafer is white and many have accused the shooter of being motivated by racial profiling.
At a press conference held in Southfield on November 15, the parents of McBride thanked Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy for filing charges. The killing of McBride sparked demonstrations outside the home of Wafer and at the Dearborn Heights police station.
Walter Ray Simmons, the father of McBride, referred to Wafer as “a monster that killed my daughter,” and said, “I hope he spends the rest of his life in jail.” Monica McBride, the victim’s mother, added, “You took a life, and you took a beautiful life that was starting to blossom, and for that I hope you stay in jail for the rest of your life, because I have to go on with my life, and her father, without our daughter.” (thegrio.com, November 15)
Although McBride’s death has been viewed by demonstrators and observers as a manifestation of racial profiling and violence that is all too common in the U.S., prosecutor Worthy has stated that she will not pursue the case as one stemming from racism. McBride’s parents echoed this same sentiment as well.
Wafer said he thought McBride was an intruder and felt threatened. Evidence in the case suggests that there was no basis for shooting McBride because she had merely knocked on the door and had not attempted to forcefully enter the property.
When asked if he thought the killing was racially motivated after these statements were made, McBride’s father said, “I believe that… this man took my daughter’s life for no reason at all, from just one human being to another. And we just want justice done. We think that the prosecutor’s office will do that.”
The shooting death of McBride follows numerous other racially-charged cases throughout the U.S., the most notable of which is the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin in July. Martin, an unarmed teenager, was killed by Zimmerman, a so-called neighborhood watchman in Sanford, Florida.
Martin’s death and the initial release of Zimmerman sparked protests across the U.S. After Zimmerman was indicted, put on trial and acquitted, hundreds of demonstrations were held in dozens of cities and states across the country.
No comments:
Post a Comment