Boston, MA Fenway – near the Muddy River 1974 Black | Male | Unknown Boston Police Department Massachusetts State Police Unarmed Brought to our attention by members of his family who say Charles Phillip Barton was murdered by the Boston Police Department in 1974 in the Fenway near the muddy river. Status: Unknown Sources Family Facebook Post Related Cases Unarmed Boston MABoston Police DepartmentMassachusetts State Police
Boston, MA Dorchester March 1,1973 Black | Male | 15 Years Old Boston Police Department Armed: Knife (Disputed) Nathaniel Smith was shot and killed by Boston Police patrolman Thomas Clifford after a car chase. Police said Clifford pursued what he suspected was a stolen automobile until the vehicle came to a stop in Dorchester. The Globe wrote : “Police said Smith jumped from the car when Clifford approached, pulled out a 4-inch or 5-inch knife and slashed at the officer. According to police, Clifford then pulled his revolver and shot Smith in the chest.’’ Two other young people in the car fled, and were later captured by police. A month later, many black Bostonians said the explanation for the shooting was “unsatisfactory.’’ “They base their dissatisfaction on eyewitness accounts that Smith never left the back seat of the car and that his chest wound apparently had a downward trajectory,’’ the Globe said. In addition, the suspected stolen vehicle had been stripped of its back seat by police. And Smith’s mother said she was in possession of the only knife her son owned: his Boy Scout knife. “Before it’s over,’’ said Marvin Harrell of the NAACP’s Boston chapter, “someone is going to have to give us some answers.’’ The FBI began investigating the case to see if Smith’s Civil Rights had been violated. About 20 witnesses testified before Judge Francis Larkin in mid-May. By August, the investigation still hadn’t been publicly released. Meanwhile, a policeman who shot another 15-year-old, Michael Pender, was charged with manslaughter three weeks after that shooting. Pender was white, and Smith black. The contrasting legal treatment of the two shootings struck some as evidence of a racial double standard. “This shows how little regard there is for black lives,’’ state Rep. Mel King told the Globe. Suffolk County closed the case in September, ruling that Clifford was justified in shooting Smith. “The Smith boy was in an upright position and springing toward the officer at the time the officer (Clifford) fired the shot,’’ Judge Larkin ruled. * In the case of unknown exact dates of death we will use either the 1st of the month or any publicized funeral date Status: Ruled Justified Sources Links Boston Globe Related Cases Uncategorized Boston MABoston Police Department
Boston, MA South End June 1 ,1972 Black | Male | 16 Years Old Boston Police Department Johnson, a 16-year-old, was shot and killed by a Boston policeman in the South End while running away from authorities. Johnson was spotted climbing into the back window of a home, according to the Globe. Johnson fled the home with “the proceeds of the crime’’ in hand and ran toward a double gate, the Globe said: “A police officer screamed ‘Halt.’ Finally, police said, he fired a warning shot. The youth was perched at the top of the fence. The officer fired again. Seconds later, Jackie was dead.’’ The bullet hit Johnson in the neck, police said, and he was declared dead shortly after being admitted to the hospital. He did not have a weapon. Afterwards, Boston police said the shooting appeared to be justified. “There was a young man caught in the act of committing a felony, and there was no other means of apprehending him,’’ Superintendent William Bradley said. “It appears that all other means of preventing his escape had passed the police officer. He took this means of apprehending him.’’ Status: Ruled Justified Sources Links Boston Globe Related Cases Uncategorized Boston MABoston Police Department
