Jeremy McDole, paralyzed from the waist down, seconds before being shot and killed by police
Paralyzed from the waist down, wheelchair-bound, and a full-time resident of a local nursing home, Jeremy McDole could hardly be seen as a dire threat to many people. But for Delaware police, shooting him was their only choice.
I call bullshit.
Wilmington police claim that Jeremy McDole was armed with a handgun when they shot him repeatedly on September 23. After watching the video (seen below) over and over and over again, I don't see a gun.
I don't see a man who was threatening police—verbally or otherwise.
I certainly don't see a man who needed to be shot and killed.
I see a man who appears to be in duress and in need of medical attention.
Jeremy McDole was as stationary and immobile as a man could be and would appear to be the perfect candidate—if deemed a threat—for some type of non-lethal force. But police seemed prepared to blow him to bits from the moment they saw him.
At 0:07 in the video, it's clear that police spot Jeremy for the very first time.
Two seconds later a gunshot goes off and voices in the video state that police shot Jeremy.
Less than a minute later, he's surrounded by police, shot repeatedly, and is clearly dead.
It's awful. Jeremy's mother, having seen the video, also disputes the police account. Watch the video below and judge for yourself.
“He wasn’t bothering anybody. He didn’t have a weapon or anything,” said Phyllis McDole. “He stood up and pulled his pants up and sat back down and put his hands on his lap and they opened fire on him.”
“They shot my son so much he fell out of the wheelchair,” she said breaking into tears. “He fell out the chair and on the ground. He wasn’t armed. He didn’t have a gun. He died by himself. He died alone.”
Nothing seems right about this one.