A fight in downtown Minneapolis ended up with an officer firing into a car full of people, an act that is a clear violation of police protocol. According to reports, six people have filed complaints with the department over the incident, which has the officer in question under the microscope.
Early on a Sunday morning in November, just after bars were letting out, reports came in of a large group of around 30-40 people fighting in the streets. As a result, two people were shot. During the chaos, Caylea Wade, the 23-year-old driver of the car in question, who was not connected to the fight, attempted to leave the area. According to Caylea, an officer had instructed her to put the car in reverse and back out the way she drove in. When she started to back out, a police car arrived, blocking her path and causing her to strike it with her vehicle. It was at this moment that a shot rang out and lodged itself into Caylea’s driver side door. The six people inside the car were shocked and afraid.
Caylea’s father, Lou Wade, had a meeting with the Chief of Police over the incident, but stated that he didn’t receive many answers. “They weren’t suspects. It’s unfortunate that they put my girl in harm’s way. At the end of the day, we just can’t have police officers on the force like that. I think it’s negligence.”
An internal affairs investigation has commenced, but depending on justice being served within a department is a craps’ shoot at best. According to Wade, Caylea was detained for several hours over the vehicle crash, even though it was only minor. Her car was impounded and was not returned for four days. This is a common tactic for police – to blame the victim of their crimes so as to avoid suspicion of misconduct.
According to one of the passengers, identified as Michael Hughes, “Literally, right after the tap and [the cars] hit each other, the officer fired a shot into the vehicle. So at that point we’re all just terrified and frightened, and, you know, like what the heck happened here?”
The NAACP of Minneapolis got involved and took to social media to condemn the Minneapolis Police Department. “The Minneapolis NAACP strongly condemns the actions of Minneapolis Police Department officers who opened fire on a multi-racial group of young people in a vehicle early Saturday morning, November 19th, 2016. The incident happened when the young people drove into a downtown area where fights had apparently broken out and shots had been fired. After a police officer ordered the driver to back-up, the car collided with (or was hit by) another police car. An MPD officer then opened fire on the young woman’s car risking the lives of all the young people inside. Miraculously none of the passengers were physically injured.”
The post went on to describe how the passengers were held at gunpoint and detained by the police who locked them in interrogation rooms, denying them access to water or a bathroom.
The shooter was identified weeks after the initial incident as Officer Efrem Hamilton. Despite the egregious act against a car of unarmed people, he was allowed to keep his badge and gun and has been assigned to desk duty until the investigation is complete. Hamilton has been with the department for 9 years, making his blatant violation of police policy and demonstration of horrible judgment troubling, to say the least. This wasn’t the mistake of a rookie, but of a seasoned officer. Why he chose to shoot at a vehicle not involved in the original fight is a mystery that hopefully the internal affairs investigation will shed some light on.
The case was already referred to the Hennepin County prosecutor who sent it back to the police department. According to the prosecutor’s office, the complaint failed to address several key points, and therefore, was returned for further investigation. This is a good sign, displaying that the prosecutor is actually taking the case seriously. Whether or not the case will get swept under the rug, however, is yet to be seen.
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