State Trooper Kills Unarmed Deaf Man Trying to Communicate in Sign Language

A North Carolina state trooper shot and killed 29-year-old Daniel Harris, who was trying to communicate to him in sign language, as he is deaf and mute. Police claim that Harris led them on a brief pursuit after they tried to pull him over for speeding, although it's not clear if Harris was aware that he was being pulled over, due to his disability.

After stopping, Harris, who was unarmed, tried to communicate with the trooper using sign language. Witnesses say Harris was shot and killed "almost immediately" after getting out of his vehicle.

A statement from the North Carolina Highway Patrol read, "An encounter took place between the driver and the trooper causing a shot to be fired," adding that State Trooper Jermaine Saunders has been placed on administrative leave. However, Harris' neighbor criticized the way the trooper handled the situation.

Mark Barringer, who witnessed part of the incident, told reporters, "They should've deescalated and been trained to realize that this is an entirely different situation. You're pulling someone over who is deaf. They are handicapped."

Harris' family has set up a GoFundMe account where they addressed the aftermath of the situation, "Our family is raising funds to cover his memorial and cremation expenses (details pending). Any monies left over will be used to set up a foundation in his name to educate and provide law enforcement proper training on how to confront Deaf people. Subsequently, we hope to change the DMV registration system by requiring states to set up a 'DEAF' alert to appear when law enforcement look up a car's license plate. With this change, Daniel will be a hero in our Deaf community."

Source: NY Daily News