In Newark, New Jersey, a grand jury decided not to indict Detective Rod Simpkins for fatally shooting Carl Dorsey on New Year's Day 2021.
It followed an investigation by the state attorney general into Dorsey's death that has dragged on for months despite the fact that his family says the facts are clear: Simpkins, who arrived at the scene in plainclothes, shot Dorsey dead after allegedly hearing gunshots.
Simpkins shot at Dorsey moments after getting out of his car, and it is unknown whether he announced himself first. Larry Hamm, chair of the People's Organization for Progress, said he and Dorsey's family are requesting a civil rights investigation.
In an interview with Democracy Now, Hamm shares that there is an independent prosecutor bill in New Jersey where if a local police person kills someone, then the state attorney general must take over that investigation.
"The state attorney general had this case for two years, and we didn’t hear anything publicly. And then, this week, almost on the same day that the officers that killed Tyre Nichols were charged, that day, the grand jury came back with no bill, no indictment for the officer that killed Carl Dorsey."
This failure in justice for Carl Dorsey is the result of this country's refusal to hold law enforcement accountable for their eagerness to murder Black people.
Source: Democracy Now