mick silver
15th June 2015, 05:36 PM
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) -- A West Louisville community leader is discouraging civil rights activists from using a fatal police shooting as a flashpoint for protests.
"Some people would take this and run with it," said Neal Robertson, the Coordinator of the West Louisville Urban Coalition.
Surveillance video captured by Smoker's Smoke Shop at the corner of 4th and West Oak Street shows the assault suspect, Deng Manyoun, attacking ten year police veteran Nathan Blanford with a flag pole. Blanford opened fire on Manyoun, 35, shooting him, twice.
The day after the shooting, an impromptu meeting of civil rights activists questioned why Blanford didn't find a way to stop Manyoun without killing him.
"The bottom line is, it's about whose lives are valued and that's what's so disturbing about all of this," one speaker said at the meeting.
Yet Robertson is calling for an end to Ferguson or Baltimore-like protests in Louisville before they begin.
"They'll take it and wait for the CNN's to come, wait for the looting to come, wait for the rioting to come just so they can be a part of - shall I say - an activism," Robertson told WHAS11.
Blanford has been placed on administrative leave pending the investigations from the Public Integrity Unit and the Public Standards Unit, which is standard LMPD procedure. The PIU conducts a criminal investigation, then turns its findings over to the Commonwealth's Attorney. The PSU performs an internal investigation to evaluate if any department policies were violated or need reviewed.
More information about the shooting is expected mid-week after officials interview Officer Blanford for his account.
One day before the shooting, Robertson led a community discussion with Metro Police. He said the surveillance video shows it does not justify a protest of Metro Police.
"Absolutely not. Absolutely not," Robertson said. "He just didn't shoot the young man. He shot him because the guy had a pole and was swinging the pole at him."
Robertson's reaction to police critics are an echo of statements made by Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer Monday in a radio interview Monday morning.
"You can see how quickly this took place," Fischer told host Joe Elliott on WGTK Radio. "... and a lot of people kind of fictionalize reality and think it's like a Hollywood movie or something, where you got a superhero and you can make all these split second decisions, and go from this crisis to another crisis."
"But people just need to put themselves in that officer's position or if they were being attacked by somebody in that position," Fischer continued, "and say, this is something that happened literally in four to five seconds."
Fischer said the video contradicts some witness accounts that suggest the officer had other options.
"You saw some witnesses giving a very different description of reality," Fischer said. "Or what they perceive as reality and then they saw the video and said, 'Well, the video camera is not lying.'"
Fischer said there is heightened sensitivity after police-involved deaths in Ferguson and Baltimore.
"Clearly there is some questioning and lack of trust," Fischer said. "I don't feel that too intensely in Louisville, to be honest with you. There are - there is a small group of people here who are constantly questioning and that's fine."
Despite his defense of the officer, Fischer says the department is in "the middle of the investigation," and has to see "where the facts lay out."
"What you are going to continue to see from us is here is an explanation of what took place, here's how the facts are going to be gathered, here is what the next steps are in the process," Fischer said.
"Some people would take this and run with it," said Neal Robertson, the Coordinator of the West Louisville Urban Coalition.
Surveillance video captured by Smoker's Smoke Shop at the corner of 4th and West Oak Street shows the assault suspect, Deng Manyoun, attacking ten year police veteran Nathan Blanford with a flag pole. Blanford opened fire on Manyoun, 35, shooting him, twice.
The day after the shooting, an impromptu meeting of civil rights activists questioned why Blanford didn't find a way to stop Manyoun without killing him.
"The bottom line is, it's about whose lives are valued and that's what's so disturbing about all of this," one speaker said at the meeting.
Yet Robertson is calling for an end to Ferguson or Baltimore-like protests in Louisville before they begin.
"They'll take it and wait for the CNN's to come, wait for the looting to come, wait for the rioting to come just so they can be a part of - shall I say - an activism," Robertson told WHAS11.
Blanford has been placed on administrative leave pending the investigations from the Public Integrity Unit and the Public Standards Unit, which is standard LMPD procedure. The PIU conducts a criminal investigation, then turns its findings over to the Commonwealth's Attorney. The PSU performs an internal investigation to evaluate if any department policies were violated or need reviewed.
More information about the shooting is expected mid-week after officials interview Officer Blanford for his account.
One day before the shooting, Robertson led a community discussion with Metro Police. He said the surveillance video shows it does not justify a protest of Metro Police.
"Absolutely not. Absolutely not," Robertson said. "He just didn't shoot the young man. He shot him because the guy had a pole and was swinging the pole at him."
Robertson's reaction to police critics are an echo of statements made by Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer Monday in a radio interview Monday morning.
"You can see how quickly this took place," Fischer told host Joe Elliott on WGTK Radio. "... and a lot of people kind of fictionalize reality and think it's like a Hollywood movie or something, where you got a superhero and you can make all these split second decisions, and go from this crisis to another crisis."
"But people just need to put themselves in that officer's position or if they were being attacked by somebody in that position," Fischer continued, "and say, this is something that happened literally in four to five seconds."
Fischer said the video contradicts some witness accounts that suggest the officer had other options.
"You saw some witnesses giving a very different description of reality," Fischer said. "Or what they perceive as reality and then they saw the video and said, 'Well, the video camera is not lying.'"
Fischer said there is heightened sensitivity after police-involved deaths in Ferguson and Baltimore.
"Clearly there is some questioning and lack of trust," Fischer said. "I don't feel that too intensely in Louisville, to be honest with you. There are - there is a small group of people here who are constantly questioning and that's fine."
Despite his defense of the officer, Fischer says the department is in "the middle of the investigation," and has to see "where the facts lay out."
"What you are going to continue to see from us is here is an explanation of what took place, here's how the facts are going to be gathered, here is what the next steps are in the process," Fischer said.