Jury convicts Okla. cop in death of unarmed teen

[FreakinDJ]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — An Oklahoma jury Tuesday convicted a veteran police captain of first-degree manslaughter in the death of an unarmed teenager who was running away after scuffling with the officer.

Del City Police Capt. Randy Trent Harrison shot Dane Scott Jr. in the back on March 14, 2012, following a high-speed chase that began when Harrison tried to pull over Scott's car.

Harrison had previously arrested Scott on drug violations, and prosecutors said his pursuit of the teenager crossed the line from professional to personal. The defense portrayed Scott as a drug dealer and said Harrison believed the teen was reaching for a second weapon after the officer took one gun from him during a scuffle that followed the police chase.

The shooting occurred just a few weeks after the death of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed black teenager killed by a neighborhood watch volunteer in Florida, and the defense suggested early on that prosecutors were influenced to file charges to prevent the type of racial discord that followed that shooting and another high-profile case in Tulsa last year. Harrison is white; Scott was black.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/11/26/unarmed-teen-oklahoma-cop-convicted/3759523/

[LuvNewcastle]

1. He should have been convicted of murder, but I guess we're lucky that the cop

was even charged to begin with. There need to be a lot more of these prosecutions. Cops have been on a rampage all over the country and most of them aren't suffering any serious consequences for their behavior.

[FreakinDJ]

2. Common theme in these Police shootings of Unarmed Citizens

While the Police Dept. will exonerate the officer a civilian jury will convict.

Tells you right there the problem is "Top Down"

[LuvNewcastle]

3. The only thing that's going to make them modify their behavior is to send those

cases to juries. People are fed up with out-of-control cops. It's all about consequences.