The Deaf Penalty in the News
Daniel Harris, 29, Killed by Police
CELL PHONE FOOTAGE August 2024
SHOOTING RULED JUSTIFIED January 2017
INCIDENT August 2016
Various news sources have reported on the killing of Daniel Harris, who was Deaf, by a North Carolina Highway Patrolman.
Despite the fact that Harris was unarmed, the District Attorney declined to file charges against the police officer in January 2017. The DA concluded that it was reasonable to the officer to shoot Harris. Read the District Attorney’s decision HERE.
ABC News published a bystander video of part of the incident in August 2024. The article can be found HERE.
NBC News published an article on Daniel’s death in 2016. It can be found HERE.
Bottom Line: An unarmed Deaf man was shot and killed after being suspected of speeding. Regardless of the fact that Harris did not pull over immediately, being suspected of speeding and not following verbal commands immediately is not justification to kill an unarmed man. No officers were held accountable.
Magdiel Sanchez, 35, Killed by Police
INCIDENT September 2017
SHOOTING RULE JUSTIFIED December 2017
Oklahoma City Police officers arrived to Magdiel Sanchez’s house to investigate a hit-and-run traffic incident involving Sanchez’s vehicle. It was later discovered that Sanchez was not involved in this incident, nor did he have any other criminal record.
Despite the fact that neighbors shouted to the police officers, who arrived unannounced at Sanchez’s home, that Sanchez was Deaf and could not hear commands, Sanchez was shot and killed for not following police commands. A neighbor reported hearing 5 - 6 shots.
Witnesses reported that Sanchez was making “hand movements” to communicate and he was trying to do so before being shot, while 15 feet away, from two armed police officers.
In December 2017 both police officers were cleared of any wrongdoing and faced no criminal charges.
Read NPR’s reporting on this incident HERE.
Read about the the officers being cleared HERE.
Bottom Line: An unarmed Deaf man was shot in his own home for not immediately following verbal commands, despite the fact the officers knew he was deaf. No officers were held accountable.
Brenda Williams, 57, Killed by Police
NO CHARGES FILED AGAINST OFFICERS
INCIDENT: April 2011
Brenda Williams, a Deaf Black woman, was shot four times in the head, torso, and arms, by police officers responding to her home.
Officers were called to Williams’ home due to her shooting at family members. (No family members were harmed). This case is slightly different from many others, as Williams was armed with a gun when officers arrived. However, there are still very troubling facts about this case.
Williams’ daughter reported that she told the responding police officers that Williams was deaf and could not hear the officers. She specifically asked the police not to kill her mother. Neighbors later corroborated that William’s daughter had told the officers that Williams could not hear them. Despite these facts, officers shot Williams after she failed to obey their commands, which were verbal only.
After the shooting, the Police Captain, Phillip Tingrides, doubled down on the shooting and stated that “whether or not someone is deaf does not play a big part if police are confronted with a life threatening situation.” This is an absurd take. While the police do have the right to respond with force, this force must be reasonable. It is absolutely the responsibility of police officers to be able to communicate basic commands to Deaf community members, particularly if they KNOW the person they are giving commands to is Deaf, as in Brenda Williams’ case.
Bottom Line: A Deaf Black woman was shot to death by police officers at her own home. While she was holding a weapon, she was shot for not immediately following verbal commands only despite the fact officers knew she was deaf. No charges were filed against the officers.
John Williams, 50, Killed by Police
SHOOTING RULED UNJUSTIFIED YET NO CHARGES FILED AGAINST OFFICER
INCIDENT: August 2010
John T. Williams, a Native American Deaf man, was shot and killed by a Seattle Police Officer, Ian Birk.
Officer Birk observed Williams walking in the street. He felt Williams was suspicious and holding a weapon. Birk pulled his car over and gave Williams the command to put down the knife. Within 5 seconds of giving the verbal command, Birk shot and killed Williams.
It was later determined that Williams was holding a small single blade carving knife and a piece of wood, as he was a wood carving artist. He was 10 feet away from the officer, unable to reach the officer, unable to hear the officer, and given only 5 seconds of warning before he was shot and killed by Officer Ian Birk.
After investigation the shooting was ruled unjustified yet Birk was never criminally charged. Birk was allowed to resign from SPD.
Bottom Line: A Deaf, Native American man, only holding his artistic tools and walking down the street was shot and killed by a police officer, who did not identify himself, for not obeying verbal commands within 5 seconds. The officer was not charged.
Read the Wikipedia page about this case HERE.
Read more about Williams HERE.
The Deaf Penalty in Prison
The Deaf Penalty extends to prison, where Deaf inmates are often not able to call home, as their hearing counterparts are.
Currently, many prison facilities are using outdated technology that makes it next to impossible for inmates to call their families, further isolating them from their support systems. Research on recidivism is clear: positive support systems are an important part of staying out of prison when released. It is very difficult to maintain close relationships when you are not able to have regular contact with your family and friends during your prison stay.
Advancements in technology, coupled with the fact that the percentage of Deaf inmates is very low compared to the general population, means that there is no excuse to not provide inmates with access to Deaf-accessible phone calls.
Bottom Line: If hearing inmates have easy access to communication with their family via the phone, Deaf inmates deserve the same.
Read what The Marshall Project wrote about this issue facing Deaf inmates HERE.