Posted on 04/22/2016 12:15:03 PM PDT by Impala64ssa
There are some serious questions about what happened in the hours leading up to three teenagers dying in a Florida pond after police dashcam video was released of the incident.
The video shows the marsh-like pond is too thick for deputies to save the girls early in the morning of March 31st.
In a press conference the following day, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said his deputies took off their belts, rushing into the water to try and save them, but were hindered by mucky conditions
But dashcam video only shows the officers standing near the pond, watching the girls' car sink, and calling for backup.
It's too late. 15-year-olds Laniya Miller, Ashaunti Butler, and 16-year-old Dominique Battle all drown. Now their families are hiring a lawyer and calling for a new investigation, saying officers aren't telling the whole story about girls they say deputies are painting as criminals.
"My daughter was not perfect," said Laniya Miller's mother, fighting back tears. "What 15-year-old is?"
The girls are accused of stealing a car in a Walmart parking lot and running from police several times before crashing into the pond.
On Friday, the Miller family's lawyer says she can't comment on the dashcam evidence until she goes through everything. But just last week, she told ABC News that there are inconsistencies in law enforcement statements and moments leading to crash.
"In my opinion, this has been a rush to judgment," Michele Whitfield said. "In my opinion, this has been a smear campaign."
+1
But, unfortunately, we have more than our share of police haters around here.
Laniya Ashaunti Dominique
‘nuf said.
Aren’t parents on the hook for damages when minors break stuff? When they gather to protest, serve them with bills (including removing the mud from any responders’ uniforms).
The world is a better place without these three; I know they were young, but I hope they didn’t already breed...
That’s how I remember it as well...
The extension (float, pole, rope, etc.) method is the safest though.
None of them were likely spending summers at a teaching university helping research cures for cancer and diabetes while working to earn money for future tuition.
No, they were “aspiring she-rappers”...
“...did they render any meaningful discipline, tell them not to go out stealing cars, for example???”
Probably blamed somebody else then, too.
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