Video footage of police in Idaho shooting and killing a mentally ill pregnant woman last summer has surfaced.
Last July, Jeanetta Riley's husband, Shane, drove the 35-year-old to a Sandpoint, Idaho. hospital because she was threatening to kill herself and hurt others. Upon arrival, Riley—who struggled with meth and alcohol addiction—brandished a knife, so her husband rushed inside for help. According to the Guardian, responding police officers killed her with an AR-15 mere seconds later. Both officers were ultimately cleared in connection with the shooting, and Riley's family (she also has three children) hasn't even received an apology from police.
However, the Guardian reports that 14 hours after Riley was killed, police shot and killed a dog named Arfee in the town of Coeur d’Alene. Following a slew of protests, the shooting was declared unjustified and the dog's owner received an $80,000 settlement.
It's been suggested that Jeanetta Riley, who ignored police orders to drop her knife, committed suicide by cop. Shane Riley's attorney told the Guardian that, even if that were true, the situation didn't need to end the way it did:
Shane’s attorney, Drew Dalton, said his client no longer believes his wife was actively trying to kill herself in the encounter with police. But even if Jeanetta had wanted the police to kill at that moment, he added, doesn’t mean they had to oblige.
Video footage of the incident can be seen below, but be warned that it's graphic.
[via The Guardian]
