One day in April 2011, Stephen and Renetta Torres rushed home after receiving a call from their neighbours about a large police presence – mobile crime lab, SWAT team, armoured cars – at their Albuquerque, New Mexico, residence.

The police were looking for their 27-year-old son, Christopher, who had been home on his own. The officers claimed that they had come to serve an arrest warrant on Christopher about a road rage incident months earlier.

Christopher, who suffered from schizophrenia, refused to speak to the officers, so they moved in on him, jumping a fence and entering the Torres’ backyard. According to court documents, from that point, only a few minutes elapsed before Christopher was shot in the back three times by CJ Brown, a plainclothed police officer at the scene.

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CHICAGO — A video has been released of Chicago police arresting a man last year who later died in custody.

The video taken by a squad-mounted camera on July 20, 2015, shows 24-year-old Heriberto Godinez thrashing about while handcuffed. It shows an officer putting a foot on his neck for about two seconds as others tried to bring him under control.

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	Lethal Punishment: Lynchings and Legal Executions in the South More about this product

“Tying her research to contemporary debates over the death penalty, Vandiver argues that modern death sentences, like lynchings of the past, continue to be influenced by factors of race and place, and sentencing is comparably erratic.”

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Teen was fatally shot by cop as he was scaling fence, according to police source, witness

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Less than 15 seconds; that is how long it took San Francisco police to use deadly force to brutally kill 45-year old Luis Gongora on April 7. Police arrived just after 10 a.m. to the 400 block of Shotwell Street after homeless outreach workers thoughtlessly summoned police following a purported knife brandishing at a tent encampment, which consequently put at risk all those in the area.

In a video anonymously sent to the SF Chronicle, the footage shows SFPD arriving with three vehicles where by 0:15 they begin to exit their vehicles before quickly making their way to Gongora who according to friends only spoke Spanish and thus could not understand what the police were yelling at him. By 0:38 the first bean bag was fired at the victim, which sounded more like a shotgun than an ostensibly less-harmful weapon. Only six seconds later, after the bean bags, SFPD at 0:44 begin their assault on Gongora showering him with lead bullets. Once the firing squad ceases shooting, one can hear the outrage in response to the needless barrage of bullets from bystanders and friends who had to witness the horror of SFPD’s ruthlessness.

According to the infamous Police Chief Greg Suhr, Gongora was wielding a knife and the police responded by firing their guns. Witnesses, including another homeless man named John Visor, indicate that while Gongora was known to carry a knife, as do most homeless people in the area, it was not in his hand as he walked in circles at the time he was killed. (SFGate)

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Jessica Williams speaks with members of the trans community to find out how transphobia affects their everyday lives. Watch full episodes of The Daily Sho

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Over the last five  years we have posted over 100,000 images from Syria on our Twitter feed showing the pain and suffering of millions we invite you see 1000 of them in our online slide show which you can find on our dedicated syria website

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by Xena

On February 16, 2014,  Yvette Smith called 911 about two men at her house arguing.  She told dispatch that they were arguing over a gun.  When Willis arrived, the two men were in the front yard.  They were no longer arguing. There was no gun.  Willis however, ordered that anyone in the house come out.  Three seconds after Yvette opened the door, Willis shot her twice.   She was taken to a local hospital where she died.

Willis had on a bullet-proof vest, used his SUV for cover, and also used his personal assault rifle.  He carried 28 rounds of ammunition.

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by Xena

Fairborn Municipal Court Judge Beth Root has ruled that there is probable cause to charge Ronald T. Ritchie with making false alarms.  Judge Root ruled that there was not probable cause to issue a criminal complaint against Ritchie for inciting to violence, inducing panic, involuntary manslaughter or reckless homicide.  She has referred the case for making false alarms to a prosecutor.

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Former LASD Undersheriff Paul Tanaka was convicted Wednesday in connection with a federal investigation into excessive force and corruption in the county’s jails.

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