Police body cam video shows officers going overboard when they shot and killed a 17-year-old boy in a stolen car.
On March 18, Washington, D.C., Metro Police startled Dalaneo Martin as he slept in a suspicious car in the residential area between 34th Street and Baker Street NE.
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
US Park Police fatally shot Dalaneo Martin, a Black 17-year-old, after officers responded to a report of a stolen vehicle in Washington last month. Investigators opened a civil rights probe after body camera footage was released https://t.co/EZeX25AVoS pic.twitter.com/sZv86OWrKj— Reuters (@Reuters) April 6, 2023
At approximately 9:30 a.m., two officers arrived on the scene and confirmed that the car was stolen with the engine running.
The officers used force to remove the drowsy 17-year-old father from the vehicle, shouting, “Police! Don’t move!”
“Cutting the plastic that was in place of the right rear window and unlocking the door,” was how the officers managed to apply force, ABC News reported.
The video shows two officers hitting Dalaneo and trying to pull him out of the car. One of the officers strategically sat in the back seat as Martin fled.
Frightened by the sudden arrest and disoriented from his disturbed sleep, Dalaneo told the officers, “Get off me,” escalating tensions between him and law enforcement.
The officer who was closer to Dalaneo, grabbing him by the arm near the driver’s seat, fell down while the car was in motion.
The officer riding with Dalaneo gave the teenager one fair warning before he shot the boy. Dalaneo, disjointed and clearly fearful for his life, refused to pull over, a decision that ultimately ended his life when the cop fired his weapon.
Dalaneo died lying on the grass next to the car after it crashed into a house. Officers were unable to revive the boy as they rendered aid.
The house Martin crashed had no casualties as it was empty.
Police did managed to recover a handgun from the stolen vehicle, police said.
Both officers have been placed on paid administrative leave while the Metropolitan Police Department conducts an investigation into the incident, police said.
The two officers were also taken to a hospital to be treated for any injuries; the one who fell out of the car did not sustain any life-threatening injuries, officials said.
Dalaneo’s mother, Terra Martin, says she not only wants the officers responsible for killing her son to be fired and not receive pay, she wants them to go to jail.
FBI is now investigating DC Park Police for what Dalaneo Martin’s mom calls an “execution.” DC cops murdered the 17-y/o sleeping in his car,refuse to release killer cop’s name. Family interview+GFM to help his baby son below.⬇️⬇️⬇️https://t.co/GzjZwzIvuNhttps://t.co/6qBgGyrf6e https://t.co/JfxFVCBoH3 pic.twitter.com/bvtTSfnmVQ
— IncarcerNation (@IncarcerNation) April 6, 2023
Dalaneo is survived by his mother and infant son.
Terra is running a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds to bury her son and is seeking donations to support her grandson.
As of reporting, the campaign, with 158 donations, has made $9,711 out of its stretch goal of $25,000.
