There are many types of crimes and violence committed against people of any gender, sexual orientation or race. Unfortunately, over the last decade or so, in the United States, for example, police brutality against black people has become commonplace. There have been too many cases of police shooting and killing black people. That’s not to say they were all innocent, but that doesn’t make their stories any more enjoyable. On August 1, 2016, Korryn Gaines became a fixture in the stats after she was fatally shot in her home in Randallstown, Maryland by at least one police officer.
The 23-year-old mother of two already had clashes with police under her belt. The police had come to her home to serve her with a warrant for a traffic violation. However, Gaines did not cooperate, and after a six-hour stalemate, the situation quickly deteriorated and at least one police officer shot the young mother, killed her, and injured her five-year-old son, Kodi. .. Her youngest child, a girl was unharmed.
Clips of the confrontation were filmed by KorrynGaines and posted on social media sites as it went down. However, Facebook, at the request of the Baltimore County Police Department, disabled Korryn’s Facebook and Instagram accounts. It earned the social media platform huge criticism as people accused the company of being implicit in the shooting.
What to know about the filming of Korryn Gaines
1. Korryn Gaines’ background and the incidents leading up to her shooting
Gaines worked as a hairstylist in Randallstown where she lived and raised her two children. Her mother, Rhonda Dormeus, is a registered nurse, while her father, Ryan Gaines, had ironically worked as a police dispatcher. The victim has two surviving siblings, a brother and a sister, both older than her. The hairstylist quit Morgan State University after learning she was pregnant and took a job to support herself and her child. According to police reports, Korryn Shandawn Gaines had a criminal record. She had previously been charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.
2. Initially it was all about driving without a license plate
This incident happened in March 2016. Korryn had been pulled over for driving her vehicle without a license plate. Instead of a plate, she carried a cardboard plaque engraved with an inscription threatening anyone who tried to arrest her and asserting that her right to travel was a natural right and freedom. When she refused to get out of the vehicle, the officer who stopped her threatened her with a Taser gun. She was then taken into care and, according to her, she was kept in solitary confinement for two days. She posted videos of the encounter on Instagram after her release.
When she failed to appear in court for the charges against her, the court issued a warrant for her arrest. It was the same day she was killed. A report in The Washington Post, corroborated by Gaines’ attorney, claimed that her aggressive behavior was the result of lead paint poisoning from homes where she previously lived. His lawyer claimed that it led to neurological damage and the loss of vital IQ points.
3. Korryn Gaines was shot and killed in her home in Maryland on August 1, 2016
When the police went to serve KorrynGaines her warrant, she did not open the door for them. They end up letting themselves in with a key from the lord of the land. They found her with a Mossberg shotgun and her five-year-old son Kodi. After several hours, officers reported that Gaines began threatening them and soon raised his gun as if to fire.
They opened fire on her and killed her. His son, Kodi, was hit in the arm by more than one bullet, leaving him with an elbow wound and bullet fragments in his face. Korryn’s fiancé, Kareem, was also briefly arrested before being released. He had managed to get out of the house with Gaines’ one-year-old daughter.
The Baltimore County Police Department, in particular, did not call their mobile crisis team during the altercation. The team aims to send a mental health clinician to assist the police in responding to people in need of crisis intervention to de-escalate the situation. Also, the Baltimore police had recently started a bodycam program. However, the day’s events were not recorded on a police officer’s body camera, as they were not wearing a camera.
4. Reactions and demonstrations after the shooting
The incident led to a flurry of arguments, protests from little-known and well-known human rights organizations, social media hashtags and more.
The story that had already become a crowd of human rights activists protested against the international reporting. They urged others to join them under the “Say Her Name” banner, saying police killings of black women have received less media attention than those of their male counterparts. They revealed that Gaines was the ninth black woman victim of police brutality that year.
Baltimore police revealed that they had received multiple death threats and therefore decided to go against the usual procedure of revealing the names of the officers involved for fear that people would harm them. Instead, they asked for patience while the investigation was ongoing.
In Baltimore, local artists came together to raise money for Gaines’ family. They also held a vigil in his honor at the entrance to Baltimore City College, where Korryn Gaines graduated in 2010. Vigils were also held in many cities across the country. The NAACP, a historically black legal institution, also stepped in and publicly called on police to release relevant information about the incident, including film footage. They also requested documents detailing operational policies on the execution of arrest warrants.
Other notable movements that have staged protests include Baltimore Bloc, Black Lives Matter, Black Youth Project 100 and People’s Power Assembly.
5. Legal proceedings and outcome of the Korryn Gaines case
Just over a month after the incident, the Gaines family filed a wrongful death lawsuit. They accused officers of shooting Korryn and killing him out of impatience due to the prolonged standoff. A few days later, it was announced that the officer responsible for shooting Gaines would not be charged. This forced the Gaines family to change their lawsuit. This time, they alleged officers John Dowell and Allen Griffin illegally entered Korryn’s apartment. It was an allegation that police had previously denied.
However, in February 2018, a jury ruled in favor of the Gaines family. They were awarded over $37 million in damages. This is because they found out the first shot was fired by Officer Royce Ruby and was unreasonable. This meant that they had violated her and her son’s civil rights. The compensation meant that $32 million would go to Kodi, $4.5 million to Karsyn Courtney, Korryn’s daughter, $300,000 to each of Korryn’s parents, and $300,000 to the deceased’s estate.
The Gaines family considered this a great victory for the mothers who lost their children to police brutality and for the community at large. However, Baltimore is disappointed with the verdict. County attorney Mike Field released a statement expressing his disappointment with the decision. He also said they are considering their options, one of which may be an appeal.