The ways that Mississippi police continue to treat their Black residents are jarring. Although this latest incident involves a former Mississippi officer, it still applies.
Just last week, in Clarksdale, Miss., Cornelius McGee Jr., a 15-year-old Black teenager, was fatally shot while trying to leave the home of a girl he was dating, according to FOX 13.
McGee was shot by the girl’s father, a former Mississippi officer who previously told the 15-year-old that he was no longer allowed to come into his home. Allegedly, did not like that his daughter was involved in a relationship with McGee. According to FOX 13, as the teenager was trying to run away from the former police officer, he started to climb a fence, it was at that moment that he was shot in the back, which led to his unfortunate death.
McGee’s mother, Jacqueline Rash, is understandably outraged and upset by her son’s shocking death, telling the local news station, “He ain’t got nothing. Why would you shoot him in his back? With his back turned and him running from you. He’s already out your house. Why shoot him?”
In a Facebook post, Rash wrote, “Justice for my baby.”
While the Clarkdale Police Department has not released who the officer is or what department he previously worked for, they have confirmed that he was a former cop.
According to USA TODAY, the Clarksdale Police Department has since called the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation to lead the investigation since it involves a former officer. They have said that they are “actively gathering information” and that “At this time, it is not considered an officer-involved shooting.”
The practice of officers shooting people in the back is one I’m extremely against. In too many instances, it involved a victim committing a non-violent “crime.” In the case of McGee, he was allegedly running away because his father disapproved of his relationship with his daughter.
Does that sound like a valid reason to shoot a teenager in the back?