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Virginia Cop Arrested And Charged After Using A Stun Gun On A Black Man Who Cried, ‘I Can’t Breathe’

A Fairfax County, Virginia police officer has been arrested and is now facing up to three years in prison after being seen on camera using a stun gun on a black man who cried out, “I can’t breathe.”

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Bodycam video of the incident released by Fairfax County police shows the victim rambling as he walks in circles in the middle of a street at around 1:30 a.m. on Friday. It is not clear if he was suffering from anything, but at times he requests oxygen and detox treatment. Police and Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department paramedics were at the scene, encouraging the man to get into the ambulance to be taken to a hospital for treatment. But apparently, the man did not want to go.

Minutes into the video, Police Officer Tyler Timberlake, an eight-year veteran of the department, uses a taser on the man without provocation. The officer wearing the camera is heard asking: “Is he wanted [for arrest]?” The officers and paramedics eventually manage to pin the man down to be cuffed. He repeatedly says, “I can’t breathe,” at which point the cops roll him to his side.

During a news conference Saturday night, Chief of Police Col. Edwin C. Roessler Jr. said the footage which is dated Friday, June 5 — showed the officer violating the department’s use-of-force policies and committing “criminal acts” that “violate our oath of office” and “ignore the sanctity of human life.”

The victim, who has not been identified publicly, was treated at a local hospital and released, Roessler said, adding he reached out to the victim and his mother to express his “disgust” with the officer’s actions and “assured her justice will be served.”

Roessler also said all the other officers who were at the scene have been “relieved of duty” while criminal and administrative investigations take place, which is department policy.

The release of the footage comes amid nationwide outrage following the horrific death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. As we previously reported, four now-former officers have been arrested and now face charges in that case.

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RELATED: Officer Charged With George Floyd’s Death Had Multiple Convictions And Traffic Violations

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Joe Biden Opposes Defunding Police, Pushes For Reform

On Monday, Joe Biden’s campaign for president said that the former vice president does not support defunding police, saying instead that the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee supports the “urgent need for reform.”

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“As his criminal justice proposal made clear months ago, Vice President Biden does not believe that police should be defunded,” Biden campaign Rapid Response Director Andrew Bates said in a statement Monday. “He hears and shares the deep grief and frustration of those calling out for change, and is driven to ensure that justice is done and that we put a stop to this terrible pain.”

Bates went on to explain that Biden supports “the urgent need for reform,” which he said includes “funding for public schools, summer programs, and mental health and substance abuse treatment separate from funding for policing — so that officers can focus on the job of policing.”

As we previously reported, calls to defund police have grown amid nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd, who died last month after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes during an arrest.

Over the weekend, a majority of the Minneapolis City Council voted to disband the local police department and replace the office with what members have said will be a new model of public safety.

Socialites, how do you feel about this? Sound off in the comment box below!

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President Of Broward County PBA Tries To Get Black Prosecutor Dismissed For Sharing His Thoughts On Police Brutality & Police Reform

We are starting to see small changes following the nationwide protests against police brutality which sparked after the death of George Floyd. Many people are urging each other to still keep the momentum going to push for even more change, and one Florida prosecutor has already started drafting up a plan!

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Jeffrey Chukwuma, who often goes typically by “Caesar,” is a prosecutor from the Office of the State Attorney’s 17th Judicial Circuit in Broward County. He recently shared a list that he and his brother came up with as a “starting point” for reforms. Chukwuma shared eight suggestions aimed at holding police officers accountable to improve relations with the community. He shared some interesting suggestions like “all cops must be required to wear bodycams” and if they do not have footage from their backup device, a “suspect should walk immediately.” Now again, these were just suggestions and Chukwuma did not state that violent criminals should walk free if incidents are not caught on bodycams, as some news sites claimed he said.

Chukwuma has also made it clear that he is “speaking as a private citizen and not on behalf of his job,” and has “zero bias against police officers.” Despite that, Broward County PBA President Rod Skirvin, who was made aware of Caesar’s online post, wrote a letter to State Attorney Mike Satz asking for Chukwuma; a concerned American, to be dismissed for sharing his ideas on social media.

In a letter addressed to Michael J. Satz, Skirvin expressed his concerns and noted that Satz’s office recently terminated another prosecutor for what she posted online:

“You recently terminated a prosecutor for a social media post that bore no relation to perform adequately her job. Since then, another one [of] your prosecutors – Mr. Jeffrey Chukwuma – made a more alarming post that should lead to his dismissal.”

According to the The Sun-Sentinel, the prosecutor Rod Skirvin is referring to is Amy Bloom. She reportedly lost her job just hours of going on Facebook for calling anti-police brutality demonstrators “obnoxious protesters” and “animals.” After deleting her original post, she explained in another that she was referring only to violent demonstrators and looters.

To note, Chukwuma did not give rouge officers a bad or insulting label and did not encourage his followers to demand any police department to implement any of his suggestions. Many of his followers even commended him for “brainstorming.”

Now despite the minor backlash from Skirvin, The Broward State Attorney’s Office rightfully stood behind Chukwuma:

“Mr. Chukwuma expressed to us that he was trying to articulate reforms that could be made to cause greater transparency, and therefore increase credibility of law enforcement in our community,” Satz wrote in a reply to Skirvin. “Mr. Chukwuma advised us that his suggestions were aspirational and in no way indicate a bias against police.”

Socialites, check out his list below and join the conversation by sharing your thoughts in the comment box below!

View this post on Instagram

A lot of people have read (or interpreted) my previous post regarding suggestions for police reform in the wrong way. The best way to effectuate change is first to understand where the problem begins. Time and time again we see black men dying through the lens of a civilian’s camera phone. Transparency and trust must be in place for a community and its police force to have the healthy and safe relationship we all want. That starts with asking the question- what needs to change? My post about the body cams for police officers was meant to begin that discussion, to open a dialogue to effectuate REAL change.

A post shared by Caesar Chukwuma, Esq. (@iamcaez) on Jun 5, 2020 at 1:59pm PDT

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We need more than protests. We need an agenda that we insist on and demand to be implemented. To that end, @princechuk03 and I have complied our thoughts on what reforms would work as a good starting point.

A post shared by Caesar Chukwuma, Esq. (@iamcaez) on Jun 2, 2020 at 11:13am PDT

RELATED: UPDATE: 4 Police Officers Fired Following Death Of George Floyd

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Former NFL Star Reche Caldwell Shot And Killed In Tampa, Florida

#Socialites, join us in sending prayers and our condolences to the family of Reche Caldwell as it’s being reported that he was killed on Saturday.

RELATED: Police Officer Who Kneeled On George Floyd Almost Killed Another Man In 2008

According to TMZ, the former NFL wide receiver who played with Tom Brady — was shot and killed in Tampa, Florida. His mother, Deborah Caldwell, confirmed the devastating news to the gossip site. Deborah shared that her son, Reche (real name Donald Caldwell) was getting ready to take his girlfriend out on a date when he went back inside his home to grab a jacket.

Reche’s GF says the former player was “ambushed” by a “couple of people” who jumped out of bushes trying to rob him. He was reportedly shot in the leg and chest. Reche’s mother said he died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.

“He was a good person who smiled all of the time,” Deborah Caldwell told TMZ. “He tried to help everyone he could. He was the type of guy who would take his shirt off his back and give it to you.”

Reche, a University of Florida product, played six seasons in the NFL. He spent four years with the Chargers, one with the Patriots, and one with Washington.

Authorities have not announced any arrests in the case, according to TMZ. We will continue to keep you updated when more details have been shared.

RELATED: Columbus Protestor Sarah Grossman Killed By Teargas, Officials Investigating

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