This is a list of controversial killings of African Americans in the decade beginning in 2010. It includes only individuals whose deaths received either significant local, national, or international attention, perceived as unjust or unexplained deaths, and is not an inclusive list of all such African Americans killed. Entries are arranged by date of incident which caused death. This list also encompasses articles on events and issues arising from these controversial deaths, including such related topics as protests, social unrest, responses to unrest, social media, investigations and legal actions, and political discourse.
Valerie Bell, writing for the San Francisco Bay View, cited the deaths of Martin, Garner, Brown, Rice, Scott, Boyd and Gray, stating that "seemingly every week another unarmed black man is in the news, having been killed by a police officer or vigilante who made another fatally false assumption".[1] Melvin Backman of Quartz describes Martin, Garner, Brown, Davis and Ford as all "black, unarmed, and killed under circumstances that made them symbols of racial injustice".[2] Erica Simon, writing for Time, praised social media for generating awareness in "the name and story of an unarmed black citizen being killed", including for Ford, Boyd, Garner, McBride, Davis, Jones and "countless others".[3] Clare O'Connor of Forbes describes of activist groups protesting against "a long line of unjust killings", including Garner, Ford, Crawford and Brown "at the hands of police officers", as well as Martin, McBride and Davis, "killed by private citizens, in a climate where police action demonstrates this as acceptable".[4] Katie McDonough of Salon said in reference to the deaths of Brown and Rice, "It seems that our culture has never been more aware of racist police violence, and yet we are asked to treat each new incident as an isolated case rather than a harrowing pattern."[5]
| Date | Name (Age) of deceased | City, State | Description and aftermath |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010/05/16 | Aiyana Jones (7) | Detroit, Michigan | Shot by policeman Joseph Weekley during a house raid. Weekley was ultimately cleared of all charges after multiple mistrials.[6] |
| 2011/05/20 | William "Corey" Jackson (34) | Geneva, New York | Shot by policeman Carmen "Scott" Reale during a traffic stop. Although Reale was not charged, he was placed on administrative leave.[7] |
| 2011/11/19 | Kenneth Chamberlain, Sr. (68) | White Plains, New York | Shot by policeman Anthony Carelli in Chamberlain's home. No criminal charges filed. Emergency services were drawn to Chamberlain's home after his medical alert device activated. Chamberlain refused to let them in, with police breaking down the door to enter.[8] |
| 2012/02/26 | Trayvon Martin (17) | Sanford, Florida | Trayvon Martin was shot outdoors by neighborhood watch coordinator George Zimmerman, who was later charged and acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter.[9] Resulted in the speech "Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago" by President Barack Obama. Also inspired the Black Lives Matter movement.[10] |
| 2012/03/?? | Rekia Boyd (22) | Chicago, Illinois | Shot by policeman Dante Servin after Servin confronted a group of people in a local park. A directed verdict found Servin not guilty of involuntary manslaughter.[11] |
| 2012/11/23 | Jordan Davis (17) | Jacksonville, Florida | Shot by software developer Michael David Dunn over an argument over loud music. Dunn was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole.[12] |
| 2013/01/11 | Kendrick Johnson (17) | Valdosta, Georgia | Found dead in a rolled up wrestling mat in Lowndes High School, where he studied. The first autopsy ruled that the death was accidental, but a second autopsy ruled that Johnson died from non-accidental blunt force trauma. Case unsolved.[13] |
| 2013/11/02 | Renisha McBride (19) | Dearborn Heights, Michigan | Shot by airport maintenance worker Theodore Wafer, after an intoxicated McBride had approached Wafer's home on a rainy early morning. Wafer was sentenced to at least 17 years in jail for second-degree murder, manslaughter and felony firearm usage.[14] |
| 2014/04/30 | Dontre Hamilton (31) | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Shot by policeman Christopher Manney, when a fight broke out when Manney attempted to frisk Hamilton. Although he did not face criminal charges, Manney was fired from the police.[15] |
| 2014/04/30 | Eric Garner (43) | New York City, New York | Died from a chokehold by policeman Daniel Pantaleo as well as the police's compression of Garner's chest. Garner was being arrested on the suspicion of selling untaxed cigarettes.[16] |
| 2014/08/05 | John Crawford III (22) | Dayton, Ohio | Shot by policeman Sean Williams when police answered a 911 call alleging a man waving a gun in a Walmart store. Crawford was holding a pellet/BB gun being sold in the store itself. A grand jury declined to indict any policemen, but the United States Department of Justice is investigating.[17] |
| 2014/08/05 | Michael Brown (18) | Ferguson, Missouri | Shot by policeman Darren Wilson on a street. Wilson confronted Brown from his cruiser as Brown was suspected of committing robbery minutes earlier. They struggled through the window of the police vehicle, where Wilson shot Brown, who fled with Wilson pursuing. When Brown turned around, Wilson shot him multiple times in the front. Both a St. Louis County grand jury and the United States Department of Justice decided not to charge Wilson.[18] Resulted in several waves of the Ferguson unrest, as well as the "Hands up, don't shoot" saying. |
| 2014/08/11 | Ezell Ford (25) | Florence, Los Angeles | Shot by policemen Sharlton Wampler and Antonio Villegas, who confronted Ford as part of an "investigative stop".[19] |
| 2014/11/20 | Akai Gurley (28) | Brooklyn, New York City | Shot by policeman Peter Liang, who drew his gun and accidentally discharged it. A round ricocheted and hit Gurley, who was elsewhere on the same stairwell as Liang. Liang was indicted by a grand jury on manslaughter, assault, and other criminal charges.[20] |
| 2014/11/22 | Tamir Rice (12) | Cleveland, Ohio | Shot in a city park while playing with a toy pistol, by policeman Timothy Loehmann.[21] A grand jury will decide whether either Loehmann or his partner Garmback will be indicted. |
| 2014/12/23 | Antonio Martin (18) | Berkeley, Missouri | Shot by an unidentified Berkeley police officer, a 34-year-old white male, when Martin pulled a gun on him.[22] |
| 2014/12/30 | Jerame Reid (19) | Bridgeton, New Jersey | Shot by policeman Braheme Days during a traffic stop. Case under investigation as of May 2015.[23] |
| 2015/03/06 | Tony Robinson (19) | Madison, Wisconsin | Shot by policeman Matt Kenny during an altercation as Kenny was responding to reports of a man jumping in front of cars and attempting to strangle someone. The Wisconsin Department of Justice will investigate the Robinson shooting.[24] |
| 2015/04/02 | Eric Harris (44) | Tulsa, Oklahoma | Shot during an undercover sting, by policeman Robert Bates, who confused his revolver for a Taser and shot Harris in the back when he was on the ground.[25] Bates was charged with manslaughter. |
| 2015/04/04 | Walter Scott (50) | North Charleston, South Carolina | Shot by police officer Michael Slager during a traffic stop. Slager was charged with murder after a video surfaced showing him shooting Scott multiple times from behind while Scott was fleeing.[26] |
| 2015/04/12 | Freddie Gray (25) | Baltimore, Maryland | Fell into a coma while being transported by police after they arrested him. Gray died a week later of injuries to his spinal cord. Charges have been filed against 6 policemen after a medical examiner’s report that ruled Gray's death a homicide.[27] Resulted in the 2015 Baltimore riots and 2015 Baltimore curfew. |