Local citizens question circumstances of police-involved shootings
A small group of Wichita citizens gathered at a WSU classroom to talk about what they call police injustice.
"They're trained to view every single citizen that they encounter as a lethal threat until proven otherwise," said Occupy Wichita spokesman Michael Shatz.
Shatz said about 20 to 25 people attended the meeting at Hubbard Hall, including the mother of Troy Lanning, who was shot to death after a police chase in south Wichita on March 1. Lanning's death is one of five recent fatalities that have attracted the group's attention, four of which Shatz says he has personally investigated.
Shatz said he wants to see more transparency in the way officer-involved shootings are investigated.
"They're not providing any evidence," Shatz said. "We're more a lot more concerned with what's happening after these shootings. A lack of transparency and a lack of accountability that's going on."
Shatz is calling for district attorneys to convene citizen grand juries to investigate officer-involved shootings, as he says other states do.
"It's just all done by the KBI which has never found a Wichita Police shooting to be unjustified," Shatz said. "Every time, they've come out squeaky clean, and we find that to be pretty suspicious."
Shatz said the purpose of the meeting was not to second-guess police officers but to call for more transparency in departments.
This site uses Facebook comments to make it easier for you to contribute. If you see a comment you would like to flag for spam or abuse, click the "x" in the upper right of it. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use.