On September 2nd, the uniformed officers of the Metropolitan Police Department investigated a man with a gun in the 200 block of Orange St. SE.
I think it was because they saw this video livestreamed:
The Instagram account ‘newisisbenji’, (domestic terrorism, anyone?), is now restricted, but it appears that someone of Kay’s friends posted old memories that were on social media.
According to the police chief during a press conference, Kay was a ‘validated gang member’ who ‘probably fell through multiple safety nets’.
Here are the cropped frames from the video that is linked above. The first frame shows 15:49:30, the last one shows 15:49:31. The officer reacted in less than one second when the running Deon Kay brought up the gun to toss it.
Kay’s death at this time would have been prevented if he made a few key decisions during these moments. Below is a video from a former MPD officer that demonstrates fundamental truths when engaging with law enforcement when in your car (where Kay should have stayed).
- Pull over to a safe location
- Put keys on top on the dashboard
- Roll down all the windows
- Put your hands out of the window, have passengers do the same
- Ask for permission to get your license and registration
Unfortunately for Deon, he wasn’t following any of these tips. If he acted politely, didn’t leave the vehicle, or raise his weapon towards the law enforcement officer, the split-second decision made by the the officer to defend himself wouldn’t have occurred, and Deon would still be with us today.
