It seems in Hearne, Texas that police do not know how to defuse a situation with a senior citizen. Last Tuesday, senior citizen, Pearle Golden, age 93, failed her driver’s license test and refused to give up her keys. The elder instead went into her house, got her gun and threatened to shoot the family member trying to get her keys. Her nephew, Roy Jones, ran and called 911. The end result was a tragedy.
Police Officer Stephen Stem responded and ordered Golden to drop her weapon. Instead, she fired two shots into the ground; the officer then returned fire, shooting her in the arm and upper chest. The community was outraged and activist Bro. Quannel X was on the scene with the New Black Panther Nation & New Black Muslims. The group informed the Hearne City Council that they wanted Officer Stem fired and that the community was prepared to picket outside his home. According to Brother Quannel X they were willing to let the city officials “do the right thing” and the city council acted quickly.
In a special Saturday afternoon session, the city council voted unanimously to fire Officer Stem, taking only 30 minutes to reach a decision. Stem’s attorney, Robert McCabe, said he is “fully confident that Officer Stem’s actions were immediately necessary and legally justified.”
