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The Undisputed Truth

Viewing Posts Tagged "DeOnte Rawlings"   View All

14-Year-Old Shot and Killed by Off Duty D.C. Cop


October 04, 2007 | Tags: DeOnte Rawlings, cops, shootings, DC


Being that I live in the DC metro area, I’ve been hearing a lot about this particular case. I’m not sure if it’s getting any coverage outside of the area, but it’s an interesting (read: fucked the fuck up) case that deserves some attention.



Forgive gaps in the story, for they are being withheld from the public for obvious reasons. And they’re part of the reason this incident is so peculiar (read: fucked the fuck up).



The condensed version sounds a little something like this: Last month, Officer James Haskel gets a minibike stolen from his home. He calls another officer (Anthony Clay) and while off duty and not in uniform, the two set out to find the minibike, armed with their department-issued 9mm glocks. Allegedly, they find 14-year-old DeOnte Rawlings riding the minibike. Supposedly, the two approached Rawlings in Haskel’s personal vehicle without notifying the boy that they were officers, and then the boy shot at them, hitting the vehicle. Haskel then proceeds to return fire (I use the word “return” with much hesitation, though), and the shot kills the boy. Clay leaves the scene with the vehicle used to get there, and returns later without the vehicle. D.C. police are saying that they have since found the vehicle, but won’t say how or where they found it. The police were alerted to the shooting by a rooftop sensor installed nearby that activates when it hears the sound of a gunshot (there are multiple sensors such as that one installed around the area and were put in just recently).



Sounds seemingly legit. Use of excessive force? Surely. BUT, as with all things these days, there’s more to it than meets the eye.



Rawlings’ autopsy was released this week, revealing some very interesting details. First of all, the gunshot that Rawlings took was to the back of the head. Back of the head? That’s an interesting target, not to mention angle, to shoot somebody who shot at you first. In most cases, a return shot would hit them on the front of their body, rather than the back, and in that sort of moment would you really be going for a part of the body like the head? Why not something much easier to hit, such as a torso? If you shoot at someone’s head, you’re shooting to kill. And what was this all supposedly over again? A minibike. Shooting to kill a 14 year old boy over a minibike? Yeah. Sure.



It doesn’t stop there. Police haven’t been able to find the gun that the boy allegedly used to shoot at the two off duty cops. Even weirder? The stolen minibike in question was later found in Upper Marlboro, MD, which happens to be a nice chunk of miles away from where the shooting happened in the streets of southeast D.C. The autopsy report also mentions that no gunpowder residue or soot type shit that gets on your hands when you shoot a gun was found on the boy’s hands. There were also signs of blunt trauma, scratches, and things of that nature on Rawlings’ body – signifying that a scuffle prior to the firing of the shot may have occurred.



Granted, D.C. has a fairly new police chief (Cathy Lanier), and some kinks are to be expected when putting large organizations into the hands of new people…but this is just insane. Lanier has responded to this story, but has thrown out bullshit statements such as, “The scene was chaotic and someone might have picked [the gun] up.” What idiot is going to be stupid enough to pick up a gun that some kid just used to shoot at two men, regardless of if they’re cops or not? That’s an (attempted) murder weapon right there! I’d run away from that gun as fast as I possibly could, and there’s no way in hell I’d even think about getting my prints on that thing!



The officers were placed on administrative leave, and the case is now being investigated by the U.S. attorney’s office and the FBI.



My condolences go out to the families of both DeOnte Rawlings and the two off duty cops. At least one of the cops has a daughter, and whether he was right or wrong, that’s a lot for a kid (who also happens to be 14) to have to deal with.





The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not necessarily those of HipHopDX.com or Cheri Media Group.

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