The man's friend said he was merely picking up food for his kids -- police say a tipster told them he was doing a drug deal.
Yet another allegedly unarmed black man was gunned down by officers this week, this time in Phoenix on suspicions of drug dealing, according to a report.
With tensions at an all-time high over alleged racial shootings, Phoenix police Tuesday night said they killed a suspected drug dealer, and while the man’s mother said the shooting likely isn’t about race, she questioned the use of force, according to the CNN report.
However, Sgt. Trent Crump of the Phoenix police countered that they “don’t have a duty to retreat as a police officer” and in fact had a duty to investigate the situation, which is what they say the 30-year-old officer was doing when he encountered 34-year-old Rumain Brisbon and 32-year-old Brandon Dickerson, who was Brisbon’s friend. A tipster had told the officer that they were at a 7-11 doing a drug deal when he went to investigate, police say.
While at the 7-11, Dickerson said that his friend had gone in to get his children some food, and after getting the food, he came back, and 35 seconds later, “I ain’t seen him no more,” according to the report.
Dickerson disputes the account of him doing a drug deal. Surveillance video shows a black SUV that the pair were in stopping twice at the store over a short period of time, and both times the men appeared to make routine purchases, also stopping by a McDonalds for food for Brisbon’s kids, according to Dickerson.
Dickerson said they were sitting in the car when Brisbon folded up the bags to get out of the car and then go up to his home, and that was the last time he saw him.
CNN reported that the video didn’t appear to include any third party, and Phoenix police have also been looking into the video.
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