© Provided by Washington Examiner Five Oklahoma City police officers have been charged with manslaughter in connection with the November shooting of a 15-year-old who was a suspect in an armed robbery.
Stavian Rodriguez died on Nov. 23 after multiple officers fired shots at him. The officers charged on Wednesday have been identified by multiple news outlets as Bethany Sears, Jared Barton, Corey Adams, John Skuta, and Brad Pemberton.
Sgt. Sarah Carli, who was also involved in the incident, is not being charged as she utilized a less-lethal weapon, according to police.
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Before Rodriguez was shot, police were called to respond to a report of an armed robbery at Okie Gas Express on Nov. 23. Once on the scene, police say the store's clerk informed authorities that he fled the building and locked Rodriguez inside.
Rodriguez eventually exited the building through a window. In a video of the incident, officers can be heard telling the teenager to show them his hands. Rodriguez pulled a gun out of his waistband and tossed it on the ground. One person on a loudspeaker repeatedly told Rodriguez to get "face down on the ground," but after removing the gun, the teenager appeared to attempt to remove something from his pocket.
After a second or two, multiple officers fired on Rodriguez, shortly thereafter coming to his side to assess his condition and render aid.
"Stavian Rodriguez had no weapons other than the firearm, which he dropped prior to being shot," the Oklahoma County district attorney's office wrote in a probable cause affidavit, according to NBC News. "A cellphone was recovered from the left rear pocket he had his hand in at the time he was shot."
Rodriguez died after suffering 13 gunshot wounds.
"The Oklahoma City Police Department has been perpetuating the murder of innocent and unarmed people for decades," Rand Eddy, an attorney for Rodriguez's family, said, according to the New York Times. "Of the many forms of justice Stavian and his family deserve, we hope to see an end to this senseless violence and tragedy in our community."
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"When an armed robbery suspect did not obey police commands, five officers perceived the same threat and simultaneously fired their weapons," Oklahoma City Fraternal Order of Policy John Gage said in a statement posted to Facebook on Wednesday. "A loss of life is always a tragedy and we know these officers did not take firing their weapons lightly. The OKC FOP stands by these officers and maintains they acted within the law."
Tags: News, Oklahoma, Police, police brutality, shooting, Oklahoma City
Original Author: Haley Victory Smith
Original Location: Five Oklahoma police officers charged with manslaughter after shooting of teenager