Martavious Banks on Life Support: Cops Did an Insurance Check Prior to Stop of Properly Driven Car, then Chased Black Man & Shot Him to Death. Body & Dashcams Off, Witness Says it was Murder
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MEDIA FOCUSES ON BODY CAMS - NOT MURDER BY COPS. eyewitness testimony is only important to the media if the witness is white or cops are not accused of crimes
White Supremacy Mystery Hanging Like a Loose Noose in Memphis. From [HERE] and [HERE] The Black man who was shot by an Memphis police officer is now on life-support, according to his family.
Martavious Banks, 25, was shot by an MPD officer on Sept. 17 after a traffic stop in South Memphis.
His family previously said he remained in critical condition at Regional One after the shooting, and Banks had a collapsed lung as of Friday. His mother told FOX13 on Monday that Banks had been placed on life support at some point over the weekend, and he remains there now.
It is unclear what his status is moving forward.
Police have not released the names of the officers who were involved in the shooting, but all three were “relieved of duty” pending an investigation by the TBI.
Martavious Banks, 25, was shot last Monday evening by a Memphis police officer in South Memphis. Police say officers stopped Banks in a car near the intersection of Gill Avenue and Pillow Street. Cops apparently stopped him to do an “insurance check.” [MORE] That is, he did not commit any traffic infraction or moving violation. Police said they pulled Banks over after checking the license plate on the car he was driving. The scan raised questions about insurance coverage. It was his mother's car. It is unknown why they decided to check his plate. [MORE]
[A police officer's check of a vehicle registration in a database is not a Fourth Amendment search, in the 6th Circuit and apparently every other circuit that has considered the issue United States v. Ellison , 462 F.3d 557, 561–63 (5th, 6th, 7th, 9th, 10th Circuits) - “Because they are in plain view, no privacy interest exists in license plates” See United States v. Miranda-Sotolongo, 827 F.3d 663 (7th Cir., 2016). Because of the ever creeping expanding powers of the state, constitutional protections are meaningless on the street and offer no protection to Black people from cops. Believe in such nonsense at your own peril.]
The media has not reported on whether the vehicle was insured.
Banks drove off during the first traffic stop, according to police, and was stopped again nearby after hitting a curb.
Police say Banks was shot by an officer during a confrontation after fleeing on foot. The police department has said a gun was found in the area, but has not released details.
The officer who shot Banks did not have his body camera operating during the event, according to Police Director Michael Rallings, though a police spokesperson said it’s unclear if he switched it off or never had it turned on. Police also may have improperly switched off his dashboard camera
Rallings said two additional officers who were involved in a traffic stop before the shooting deactivated either their body-worn cameras or in-car video systems during a pursuit. One of the officers involved – not the primary officer who shot Banks – is the son of Memphis Police Association President Michael Williams.
Banks' mother and witnesses contested police accounts, saying Banks was running away when he was shot. Banks' family disputed claims that he was armed. Banks remained in critical condition Friday.
Officers also failed to warn Banks that they would shoot, Thoedus Hibbler, a witness who came forward, said. From his front porch that sits at an elevated vantage point on the 1200 block of Gill Street, Hibbler said he is just as perplexed as he was Monday evening when he said he saw his neighbor shot by police.
"As he got out of the car, they started (shooting)," said Hibbler. "There was no lights on, no sirens, nothing. It was like, he started running from them and they just started shooting right away."
Though he lives five houses down from the shooting scene, Hibbler is adamant about what he saw. The shooting occurred around 6:30 p.m., while there was still plenty of daylight.
Hibbler isn't the only one who asserts that Banks was running from the police when he was shot. [MORE] and [MORE]
12 bullet holes were found inside the home in the 1200 block of Gill Avenue. Witnesses say Memphis police chased Martavious Banks, 25, inside the home and fired multiple shots at him Monday night while innocent residents ducked for cover and watched in shock. Some bullets were found at the front door and others were scattered across the walls and even in the kitchen. [MORE]
"They left him laying for, like, 30 minutes," a witness said. "I'm still in shock. They were trying to put me in the car. I was still trying to run."
An NAACp statement said, “The dash cameras and body cameras that were demanded by the public should be used at all times by police officers. When trying to determine fault and ensure justice, and in order to create meaningful dialogue, we need to be able to assess the involvement of all parties, and not depend on strictly word-of-mouth testimony.”
Memphis Police Department leaders revealed Tuesday to city council members there isn't a standard punishment for officers who turn off their body cameras. Three officers are on leave and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating because their body cameras weren’t activated.
Routine traffic stops of Black men in by Memphis police too often result in tragedies. [MORE]
