Derrinesha Clay was a 17-year-old who, according to family, had bi-polar disorder and a history of strange behavior. One night she broke into a bank. Now, most people would assume that she intended on robbing the bank, but when Derrinesha entered the bank she basically just hid under one of the desks. When officers found her, she was on her knees saying, ?I’m sorry, I’m sorry.? It’s unclear how she got into the bank, but most people agree that she wasn’t trying to rob it. Her family said that she had a history of mental issues, including Bi-polar disorder.
The officer who fired the fatal shot, Brian Rendon, claims that Derrinesha charged him with an edged weapon. However, the surveillance footage from the bank tells a different story. It does not show Derrinesha being aggressive toward officers in any way. Also, there were conflicting reports from officers on the scene, on whether or not Derrinesha resisted after Rendon shot her the first time in the stomach.
U.S. District Judge Robert Holmes Bell, who recently ruled for the family’s lawsuit to move forward, had this to say:
?Rendon’s shot to Ms. Clay’s head was unreasonable because she was on her knees, she had already been shot in the stomach, and she was no longer resisting.?
This case is eerily similar to a case in Texas where a 17-year-old girl, Kristiana Coignard, was shot and killed in a police station. The entire video had to be leaked by the hacker group Anonymous because the police did not want to release it to the public. The video depicts a cowardly act by a p0lice officer, which results in the death of a teen with a history of mental health issues — almost the same as Derrinesha. It’s time for people to realize that how police choose to deal with the mentally ill will continue to have very fatal consequences if something isn’t done about it.
Police Chief Mike Yankowski said this:
“This incident was an unfortunate tragedy for everyone involved. Nonetheless, we strenuously disagree with Judge Bell’s ruling and stand by the findings of the external MSP investigation and Prosecuting Attorney Stuart Dunnings, both of which concluded that the officer’s actions were justified given the circumstances he faced.?
