Black motorists in Florida are twice more likely to be shot by police after being pulled over for a traffic violation than white motorists in Florida, reports the Tampa Bay Times in an online interactive, “If You’re Black.”
This statistic is part of a new investigative study by the paper of every police shooting that occurred in Florida from 2009-2014. The newspaper gathered data from autopsies, news articles, police reports, and subsequent lawsuits.
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More statistics from the Tampa Bay Times’ investigative reporting: Black people in Florida are three times more likely to be shot by police when chased on foot than white people in Florida; black Floridians are four times more likely to be shot in the back by police than white Floridians.
The Tampa Bay Times’ story also highlights the death of Alens Charles, 21-years-old, who was shot by police after he was locked out of his house and a neighbor contacted authorities. Alens Charles was sleeping in his car, in his driveway, when the police reached him and was unarmed.
Overall, the Tampa Bay Times reports, 72 black people have been shot “in questionable circumstances” from 2009 to 2014, “compared to 31 whites.”
“And that’s just in Florida,” writes Neil Bedi and Connie Humburg, Tampa Bay Times’ staff writers.
Read more here.
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