According to media reports, a Miami police officer opened fire on a motorist Monday during a traffic stop in Overtown. The victim, Decarlos Moore, 36, was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital where he later died from a gunshot wound to the head.
Moore was a former convicted felon who had served two prison terms. Moore served 14 years for a 1989 second-degree murder conviction and 10 months for cocaine trafficking. He was released from prison in November 2007.
Authorities are investigating the situation to try and discern why the officer stopped the victim and his reasoning for firing his weapon. Detective Willie Moreno, a police spokesman said that “details are scarce, due to preliminary stages of the investigation.”
The officers stopped the driver in the 1600 block of Northwest Third Avenue around 11:30 a.m. Moore then got out of the car and was shot, according to witnesses. Joseph Marin, 34, the officer who shot Moore, had only been on the job a few months.
What is known is that Marin is an Army veteran who served in Iraq. Sources close to the case state that he and his partner believed that the car Moore was driving, a white 2002 Honda Accord, was stolen. The officers proceeded to ordered Moore out of the car, asking him to walk toward them and put his hands on the hood.
Other than these facts, details are sketchy. The mayor and police chief as well as community leaders feel that this is not acceptable. It may actually tell us more about training, or the lack of training regarding the use of deadly force by police. Moreover, it may be a signal that we may need to evaluate individuals who join law enforcement after serving a tour of duty in the military, such as soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. – torrance stephens, ph.d.
For more with Dr. Stephens, visit twitter.com/rawdawgbuffalo and rawdawgb.blogspot.com.
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