PITTSBURGH – Today, the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania joined with the Community Empowerment Association in calling for a thorough and transparent investigation into the death of Mark Daniels. Early Sunday morning, Mr. Daniels was shot and killed by Pittsburgh police officers after a confrontation and a foot chase in Homewood.
The following can be attributed to Reggie Shuford, executive director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania:
“Police officers are government employees who are given a tremendous amount of power, even the power to use violence against the people they serve. That type of power demands accountability to the public and a duty to use force only when no other option exists to protect public safety.
“Unfortunately, we see police using violence against people all too often, and this violent behavior disproportionately impacts people of color. The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, the county police who are investigating the case, and the district attorney should be held to the highest standards of transparency and accountability in this case.”
The following can be attributed to Witold Walczak, legal director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania:
“Six days after the death of Mr. Daniels, many questions remain unanswered. The community still does not know the identity of the officers involved. The police have told the press that Mr. Daniels had a firearm, without providing any public proof that a gun was indeed found. Accounts of what happened and when differ between police agencies. The family was not allowed to see his body, either in the hospital or thereafter. And no one has indicated whether or not the officers were equipped with body-worn cameras.
“‘Just trust us’ is not a governing principle when public employees kill a human being. The community is right to demand more answers from government officials.”
