Some witnesses say the five kids were shadow boxing near a convenience store which is what drew the attention of a police officer who held them all gunpoint for several minutes as witnesses pleaded for him to lower his gun Monday afternoon.
The Clayton County cop indicated he had stopped the kids because they had cut-through a grassy area near the store to reach another block but witnesses said that was done by many people on a daily basis. Both the children and cops were black.
The video has gone viral with the majority of commenters criticizing the cop for pulling out his gun on a group of unarmed kids, including one who was only ten years old. The kids were released after more cops arrived and frisked them, finding nothing to arrest them on.
The Clayton County Police Department has acknowledged the incident on its Facebook page and said it will be releasing body cam video as well as a recording of the 911 call that led to the detainment but at this point, it has not done that as of this time.
Nevertheless, the majority of commenters on the police Facebook page are displaying no confidence in what police will eventually say to justify the detainment which is a sharp contrast to what we normally see on these pages.
The video appears to have been recorded by a woman named Shanelle Saranita Williams who posted it to Facebook with the following description:
This was today! Infront of my house Clayton County Georgia. The kids were shadow boxing near the conventient store and this is what happens!!! We begged and pleaded for the officer to put his gun away. These little boys were no older than 15. 15?! My little brother is here in Atlanta with us he is 5’3” ten ten years old! All U could see was him or my nephews walking to the store or wrestling in the street! Do they deserve to have a gun pullednout on them?!!!! No!!!!!!!! I am outraged!! I could barely breathe when I got home! This is not okay!! We have to do something @claytoncounty this was wrong!!!! Police brutality is real! Police Harassment is real!!! Racism is real!! There are other ways to handle these types of situation. A gun before a taser?!!!!!! Wtf!!! WE CANT BREATHEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Shon Gables, a reporter from CBS 46, posted the video to her Facebook page with the following description:
Clayton County: Eyewitnesses say 5 kids – one 10 YEARS OLD – were “shadow boxing” and playing near a convenience store and were stopped by police, weapon pulled, frisked and let go. Their crime: playing.
We will update the story with the videos and 911 call when they are released by Clayton County police.
