US police officer 'killed deaf man Daniel Harris while he used sign language'

Death: Sam Harris, center, older brother of Daniel Harris signs to the crowd during a candlelight vigil
AP
John Dunne @jhdunne24 August 2016

A criminal investigation has been launched into claims a US police officer shot and killed a deaf man who could not hear his orders and was trying to communicate by sign language.

Father-of-one Daniel Harris, who was not armed, was gunned down not far from his home by state trooper Jermaine Saunders after being pulled over for speeding.

The officer said he opened fire because Mr Harris was moving towards him and not responding to his commands.

But witnesses said the victim, who died at the scene, had been using sign language towards the officer.

They said Mr Harris, 29, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was shot “almost immediately” after getting out his car following a brief pursuit.

Relatives of the victim claimed that he would not have understood the situation and would have been frightened.

His brother Jay Harris said: “He was unarmed. He is a deaf individual and I think that he was just afraid. He could not hear their warnings. He could not hear their commands to stop or to stay away from them. He was shot and now we’re left with nothing.”

Neighbours hit out at the decision to “shoot first, ask questions later”.

Mark Barringer said: “You’re pulling over someone who is deaf, someone who is handicapped. To me, what happened is totally unacceptable.”

Officer Saunders has been placed on paid administrative leave following the killing and will be questioned by the State Bureau of Investigation.

Bureau spokeswoman Audria Bridges said agents will interview Saunders this week.

Relatives of Mr Harris, who has a four-year-old son, also plan to set up a foundation to help “educate and provide law enforcement with proper training on how to confront deaf people”.

The foundation hopes to help police officers to identify deaf drivers by introducing an alert which would appear when a licence plate is put through the system.

The family of Mr Harris said: “With this change, Daniel will be a hero in our deaf community.”

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