The ACLU Wants Justice For Korryn Gains And Her Son

The American Civil Liberties Union is demanding justice for Korryn Gaines, who was fatally shot by police in her home over a minor traffic violation.

The story of 23-year-old Korryn Gaines is one that brought the nation anger, pain, and hysteria as we watched Baltimore police illegally enter Gaines’ home, murder her, and critically wounded her 5-year-old son. The incident happened on August 2, 2016, when police attempted to serve Gaines a warrant for an earlier minor traffic violation. Gaines allegedly refused to leave her vehicle or show her driver’s license.

The entire ordeal was captured on video, which was recorded by Gaines. The mother pointed a shotgun at an initial officer, and the Baltimore County SWAT team responded. Officials went to Gaines’ home, and no one answered. Police then obtained a key from the landlord and entered the apartment without consent, according to ACLU-org. When police entered, Gaines was situated with her gun pointed at officers. A stand-off ensued, and eventually, after growing frustrated from waiting seven hours, police illegally entered Gaines’ home. While it was initially reported that Baltimore County Police Officer Royce Ruby shot Gaines in the front after pointing a gun at the officer, it later came out that Ruby shot her in the back. Gaines’ son, Kodi, was shot in the arm.

Baltimore County prosecutors and police ruled Gaines’ murder and the shooting of Kodi as justifiable. None of the officers, including Ruby, were prosecuted and neither of the officers were punished. In the end, a jury decided in favor of the Gaines family being awarded $38 million in damages, and police asked the judge to overturn the jury’s award, according to the outlet. The judge, a former police officer, reversed course on his previous ruling that liability was a jury to decide, and decided himself to throw out the jury’s verdict and found that police should be granted “qualified immunity.”