Houston, Texas (Sinister Existence)
Forget the boogie man. Since childhood, my biggest fear has been coming into contact with a double amputee in a wheelchair. What’s worse, I have been plagued by visions of such a man grasping a ball-point pen. Gives me fucking goose bumps just thinking about it.
Well, thanks to the Houston Police Department, maybe we can all put such fears to rest. The dangerous double amputee is no longer a threat to society and the peaceful dreams of children everywhere.
According to Houston police, two officers responded to a domestic disturbance complaint at a group home in southwest Houston around 1:30 a.m. Saturday. Police said the person in charge of the home said the man inside, Brian Claunch, 45, who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, was threatening other residents.
Officers arrived only to find the terror of a wheelchair-bound man inside, missing a few limbs as a result of an accident involving a train. However, in his good hand, according to police, he was holding an unknown object.
The responding officers said Claunch was swinging the shiny object in a threatening manner towards them. Investigators said the officers told Claunch to drop the object, but he refused. That’s when five-year veteran Matthew Marin did the only thing reasonable when dealing with a disabled man (cough) and fired at Claunch, shooting him in the head. Turns out, the “unknown object” was only a ball-point pen.
And judging from his Plenty of Fish online dating profile photos, I can certainly see how a puny officer could fear for his life from a man in a wheelchair holding a ball-point pen, can’t you?
The officer’s actions haven’t set well with community activists, though. The Greater Houston Coalition for Justice is calling on U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to launch a full investigation of "patterns and practices of civil rights violations by the Houston Police Department against minorities and others." The Texas Civil Rights Project has also demanded an open investigation.
"This killing is very disturbing," Texas Civil Rights Project director and attorney Amin Alehashem said. "HPD has not explained how or why two officers responding to a routine call came to feel threatened by a by a man in a wheelchair with two limbs and a pen. There are far too many questions left unanswered today for the public to blindly accept HPD's assurances that the shooting of this man in a wheelchair was justified."
By the way, this isn’t the first time Houston police officer Matthew Marin has fatally used his weapon in uniform. Houston police records indicate that Marin also fatally shot a suspect in 2009.
Houston Mayor Annise Parker released a statement about the shooting.
"I want to express my condolences to Mr. Claunch's family and friends. As for any comment on the circumstances, there is a process in place to determine if the officer acted appropriately. In addition to the usual internal review, Chief McClelland has taken the additional step of asking the local office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) within the U.S. Department of Justice to monitor our investigation of this incident. Until the facts are in place, it is premature to draw any conclusions. I have utmost respect for the very difficult job of our Houston Police Department. However, if there were mistakes made, I know the police chief will take appropriate action," Parker said.
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