Delaware Cops Shot Paralyzed Man in Wheelchair: Fact Check

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Story:

Delaware Cops Shot Paralyzed Man in Wheelchair!

Other Versions

Delaware Police Fatally Shoot and Kill a Man in Wheelchair

Fact Check:

A disturbing video in circulation online purports to show Delaware Cops Shot Paralyzed Man in Wheelchair, leading to his collapse and death. Delaware Police fatally shooting and killing the Man in Wheelchair is true, but the incident happened back in 2015. The Police officials said they shot the man on wheelchair because he carried gun and was trying to open fire. However, the man’s family and also the Police department condemned their action.

Image Showing Delaware Cops Shot Paralyzed Man in Wheelchair — Delaware Cops Shot Paralyzed Man in Wheelchair

How the Delaware Cops Shot Paralyzed Man

According to Delaware Police, they got a 911 call on 23 September 2015 claiming an African-American man in a wheelchair was suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The man in the wheelchair is 28-years-old Jeremy McDole, and was paralyzed from the waist down. As can be seen, the shooting incident in Wilmington was caught on cellphone video by a witness.

To begin with, the Police shout at McDole to ‘drop the gun’ and put his ‘hands up’. Sitting disabled on his wheelchair, McDole appears to adjust himself and his pants, rubbing his knees with both hands. Just after he keeps his hands inside his pant pockets, the police shoot at him multiple times, before McDole collapses to death on the road. While Jeremy McDole was an African-American, the encounter involved three white police officers and one Hispanic officer. The police officers asserted their shooting saying the man on wheelchair carried a .38-caliber gun, and could fire his weapon at them.

Image of Jeremy McDole Collapses to Death after Police Shot — Jeremy McDole Collapses to Death after Police Shot

McDole Family’s Version

Because the Delaware Cops Shot Paralyzed Man, Jeremy McDole’s family filed a lawsuit against the City of Wilmington. They said McDole was robbed of his wallet and then shot, and that the thief or an accomplice called Police claiming a self-inflicted gunshot was to blame for McDole’s condition. Notably, they argued that the officers did not identify themselves during the encounter, and did not attempt to use non-lethal means on McDole. In a press meet, McDole’s mother describes the Police action as unjust.

Settlement

In December 2016, the City of Wilmington agreed to settle the Jeremy family’s lawsuit for $1.5 million. The office of Delaware Attorney General cleared the officers in the shooting due to insufficient evidence to pursue federal criminal civil rights charges. However, the report said one of the Police corporals, Joseph Dellose (who shot McDole) exhibited “extraordinarily poor police work“. The Department of Justice did not believe Wilmington Police Department should employ Dellose in any role where he would be carrying a firearm in public. Nonetheless, the decision disappointed McDole’s family seeking a criminal indictment against the officers.