A white police officer in Arizona shot and killed an unarmed black man on Tuesday when he mistook a pill vial for a gun, according to The Arizona Republic.
Police investigating a burglary at an apartment complex were tipped off to a drug deal allegedly taking place inside a black SUV, Sgt. Trent Crump, a Phoenix police spokesperson, told The Arizona Republic. When police ran the license plate, they found that the owner's residence had a pending "loud music disturbance" report that had already been cancelled.
The investigating officer went over to the SUV to question its occupants. The officer said the driver -- later confirmed to be 34-year-old Rumain Brisbon -- got out of the vehicle and removed something from the back of the SUV, according to The Arizona Republic. Brisbon was told to show his hands, but the officer said Brisbon put his hands inside his waistband.
Martin Rangel, who lives upstairs from the apartment where the shooting occurred, told The Arizona Republic that he heard the gunshots. "It was so loud, I heard the vibration through the floor," Rangel said. "I ran to the window, and that's when I saw the cop running out, or like, walking out, and he was cussing, you know, he was screaming, 'F--k, f--k,' like upset that he shot the guy."
An attorney that previously represented Brisbon in a DUI case is now representing his family. "There are numerous witnesses that will challenge the police officer's account of what transpired," Marci Kratter told The Arizona Republic.
"Tonight, four children are missing their father, a woman is missing her husband and a mother is missing her son," the lawyer said. "It was a senseless tragedy. He was unarmed and not a threat to anyone. We intend to pursue this to the full extent of the law."