On March 27, 2015 Loreal Juana Barnell Tsingine, a 23 year old Navajo woman was shot and killed in Arizona by Winslow police officer, Austin Shipley. The deadly incident began when Tsingine allegedly shoplifted from a local Circle K convenience store. When Shipley and another officer attempted to detain her, she resisted arrest and allegedly threatened the officers with scissors. The 1000 pound, five-foot tall mother was fatally shot 5 times by officer Shipley because she "presented a substantial threat" to the 2 officers who where much bigger than her. Eye witnesses of the incident have presented accounts that Tsingine did not threaten the officers with her scissors. Officer Shipley, a 3 - year veteran with the force has received two disciplinary actions in his short career which included inappropriate comments to a woman violating the departments code of conduct and excessive use of his taser. Information has recently surfaced of Shipley possibly being associated with the Oath Keepers/Three Percenters, who are widely known extremist right-wing paramilitary groups that promote and employ violence as a political tactic. On a national level Native American are more likely to be killed by police making up 0.8% of the population yet comprise of 1.9% of police killings and these stories still do not go beyond local outlets. The family and local leaders are coming together to call for an independent investigation of Tsingine's killing and to end racial profiling against Navajo people.
www.justiceforourlives.com/loreal-tsingine OO
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