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How many more innocent Black people have to die before no-knock warrants are done away with for good, or at the very least, highly regulated? One would think that after the tragedy of Breonna Taylor and the subsequent public outrage, city mayors and police departments would rethink this strategy. Unless law enforcement is attempting to capture someone wanted for violent crimes or sexual assault, there is absolutely no reason to employ that level of tactics to arrest someone for a simple drug arrest.
16-year-old Randall Adjessom was shot dead by SWAT team officers in Mobile, Alabama, as they attempted to serve a no-knock warrant.
According to A PNews, Randall’s mother, Akouvi Adjessom, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the officers involved as well as the city of Mobile. On November 13, 2023, officers were looking to arrest Adjessom’s older brother for possession and distribution of marijuana. The brother was not at the home, nor did he live there. When Adjessom heard the commotion, he reasonably assumed that he and his family were in danger from home invaders and came out of his room holding a pistol. The lawsuit cites the body camera footage that shows the teenager retreating with his hands up when he realizes that the presumed intruders were police officers, he was shot four times in 11 seconds.
The lawsuit also charges the officers with failing to give timely medical attention as it took Adjessom 50 minutes to arrive at a hospital that was only 8 minutes away.
“They’re supposed to be peace officers, aren’t they? How many more young Black boys like Randall have to be buried following police brutality before the MPD’s legendary culture of unchecked excessive force is finally put to rest,” said Adjessom’s mother, Akouvi Adjessom, in a statement on Monday.
The report notes that the Justice Department changed its policy on no-knock warrants to require both federal approval by a prosecutor and police agency supervision by but somehow this no-knocked was still approved.
There is no word on the amount of damages the family is seeking but based on past precedent, we feel confident saying that it is upwards of seven figures. We hope they get every single penny.