Baller Alert It's a lifestyle!
—blogged by @lovelikejhoney
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On April 5, in Barstow, California, not just another black male, but another black father, 26-year-old Diante Yarber, lost his life to law enforcement.
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Around 11 a.m., Barstow police officers responded to a call about a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot of the Walmart. According to authorities, they believed the driver was “a suspect wanted for questioning in a recent crime involving a stolen vehicle.”
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When the officers arrived at the scene, they targeted a black Mustang at the front of the lot. “They saw a car full of black people sitting in front of a Walmart, and they decided that was suspicious,” Lee Merritt, an attorney representing Yarber’s family, told the Guardian. The car had been moving but came to a stop in a parking spot. The officers got out of their vehicles and ordered the driver of the Mustang to do the same.
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In their press release, the Barstow police described the next moments of the incident as:
“The vehicle then accelerated forward toward the officers, and then accelerated in reverse toward officers and striking another patrol vehicle…Afterward, an officer-involved shooting ensued.”
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It’s estimated a total of 30 rounds were fired at the car killing one man and injuring two of three passengers who were all unarmed. Unfortunate for Yarber, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
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“This is the worst case of excessive force that I’ve ever seen,” Merritt said. “From the sheer volume of rounds that were shot at the car, to the circumstances surrounding it.” The officers believed Yarber was a suspect in a recent stolen vehicle incident, but Yarber’s aunt told the Guardian that the vehicle officers fired at belonged to a family member and was never reported stolen. Merritt and the Yarber family plan to sue the City of Barstow and its Police Department by the end of the week.
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Since the shooting, protests have ignited in Barstow about halfway between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, with residents seeking answers from the police.
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The video recorded by local pedestrians got to the hands of racial justice activist, Shaun King, where it received viral attention. Since King posted the video on Facebook, it has been viewed more than 200,000 times. It was not clear what happened before the recording started or after it ended, however, in the video, rapid gunfire can be heard as a black car appears to drive slowly in reverse.
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A version of the same video that has been slowed down appears to show the car beginning to back up, just before two of the gunshots are fired; almost immediately after, the car appears to back into or swipe what looks like a police vehicle. The gunfire continues in rapid succession.
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“They just began pouring bullets…It’s irresponsible. It’s dangerous. It’s mind-boggling, the use of force,” Merritt exclaimed.
