Garry Chapman, the son of Canine the Bounty Hunter, is one in all a number of Alabama cops who who punched, kicked, tasered and hooded a 39-year-old Black man named John Scott Jr. struggling a psychological well being disaster earlier this 12 months, based on a lawsuit filed final month.
One week after Scott’s mom filed the lawsuit, the 24-year-old Priceville cop pursued a suspected drunk driver into one other city who then struck one other automobile, killing a 17-year-old boy and injuring three different youngsters that had been additionally within the automobile.
Now Chapman has been positioned on paid administrative go away from the Priceville Police Division as he’s investigated for the pursuit that passed off on Saturday, resulting in the loss of life of Tristan Hollis and the damage of three of his buddies.
And an Alabama Republican legislator is looking for stricter pointers for police in the case of high-speed pursuits as a way to defend harmless bystanders.
“We now have a lack of life, and the accused could have a small bag of marijuana or one thing,” Senator Arthur Orr stated Monday, based on native media. “It doesn’t compute for harmless bystanders or motorists to lose their lives after we are pursuing low-level infractions.”
Nonetheless, some states which have enacted such restrictions have rolled again such restrictions.
And police departments which have carried out such insurance policies have seen the insurance policies ignored by officers, leading to harmless folks killed, together with a 10-year-old Black woman, leading to an $80 million settlement from the Chicago Police Division earlier this 12 months in addition to a 12-year-old Black woman killed when Georgia state police had been pursuing a person for rushing.
The motive force of the car that killed Hollis, Archie Hale, is accused of operating a crimson gentle at a excessive price of pace when he struck the van that Hollis was driving in, killing Hollis and injuring his three buddies whereas injuring himself and his passenger.
Hale was launched from a hospital on Sept. 11 and booked into the Morgan County Jail on homicide prices, native station WAFF reported.
The 40-year-old man was already on probation for drug possession and has an extended listing of prior offenses relationship again ten years for theft, medication and eluding police, the Hartselle Enquirer reported.
“It doesn’t look like the justice system has taught him a lesson wherever,” Hartselle Police Chief Alan McDearmond instructed the Hartselle Enquirer.
Current Lawsuit
The lawsuit filed on Aug. 29 by the mom of John Scott Jr., Paulette Tennison, accuses Chapman and different officers from different businesses of violating her son’s Fourth and 14th Modification rights, assault and battery, and wrongful loss of life on the evening of April 15 within the metropolis of Decatur after she known as them for assist, telling dispatchers her son was off his medicine.
The declare states that officers from the Decatur Police Division and the Morgan County Sheriff’s Workplace responded together with Chapman who works for the Priceville Police Division which patrols a metropolis lower than ten miles from Decatur.
A 28-minute physique digicam video launched by Decatur police exhibits Scott participating with police and paramedics in a civil dialog for greater than 13 minutes earlier than they determined to arrest him for failing to look in courtroom in 2021 for a rushing ticket.
The cops grabbed his arms to handcuff him, and he fell to the bottom and commenced panicking, complaining about his neck.
The cops turned extra aggressive, ordering him to show over, and he responded, “I’m attempting,” whereas repeatedly apologizing, saying, “I’m sorry.”
Then they started tasering him whereas ordering him to show round and place his again, and he saved telling them he was attempting to take action.
A minimum of one cop had his knee on his again, making it troublesome for him to abide by their orders. Then one cop began punching him.
Because the cops struggled to position him within the automobile after handcuffing him, Scott repeatedly instructed the cops, “I can’t breathe.”
“You’ll be able to breathe,” one cop responded. “Get up!”
Sott’s mom was additionally pleading with officers, “cease punching him!”
Scott was pronounced useless at an area hospital one week later.
“Each earlier than and after handcuffing decedent, John Scott Jr., and putting him in ankle irons, defendant Garry Chapman kicked, punched, tazed, battered, hooded and bludgeoned Mr. Scott Jr., inflicting him nice ache, anguish, struggling, damage and in the end loss of life,” the declare states.
“Defendant Garry Chapman made sure statements for these in shut proximity to listen to relating to his actions together with statements that admitted to hitting and beating decedent, John Scott Jr.”
Nonetheless, the mayor of Priceville, Sam Heflin, is claiming that Chapman was not concerned within the loss of life of John Scott Jr, telling native media that he “was falsely named in that swimsuit and will probably be dropped out of it quickly.”
“Officer Chapman was by no means on the scene or concerned in any respect.”
Watch the video beneath.
Households Mourning Harmless Lives
Whether or not Chapman was on the scene or not, the disturbing video as soon as once more exhibits how the USA offers with folks with psychological sickness, brutalizing and suffocating them as a result of they “didn’t comply” — when the primary cause police had been known as is that the particular person was not performing in the appropriate mind set, which makes it troublesome to adjust to barking contradictory orders by armed authorities brokers.
And whether or not Hale was driving drunk and putting harmless folks in danger when Chapman tried to tug him over, pursuing him at a excessive price of pace into one other city locations much more harmless folks in danger.
Now it was a 17-year-old highschool pupil along with his entire life forward of him that was killed. Hollis is described in his obituary as a hard-working teen who spent his free time understanding and enjoying video video games. His household has launched a GoFundMe for funeral bills and time without work work for his mom which has raised $9,060 as of this writing.
“He was a really well mannered younger man and liked candy treats,” the obituary states.
His mom issued a press release asking folks to wish for all concerned in what she described as a “mindless, horrific accident,” together with Hale.
“Please pray for all of the younger males that had been concerned on this accident,” she stated.
“Additionally, I ask for everybody to wish for the person, Archie Brandon Hale, that killed my candy, valuable son. Sure, he selfishly and maliciously took my son’s life, however ultimately, my son is in a much better place than what’s about to be bestowed amongst him.”
Scott’s loss of life additionally left family and friends devastated who referred to him by his nickname, “LJ,”mourning the lack of whom they describe a very good man and loving father in his obituary. His household additionally launched a GoFundMe earlier this 12 months that has raised $14,805 as of this writing.
“LJ, you had been extra than simply family- you had been a light-weight, a fighter, and a soul that left an imprint on everybody fortunate sufficient to know you,” said R. Eric Davis, one in all greater than 20 individuals who left feedback memorializing the daddy of 5 in his obituary.
“I’ll carry your reminiscence with me at all times, and I pray your spirit finds peace whilst ours seek for solutions. You deserved higher, and we received’t cease talking your identify. Relaxation simple, LJ, you might be without end liked.”
