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A new video emerged of a white Tulsa security guard killing a Black father on the eve of President Trump's reelection campaign rally in the city

Jun 20, 2020, 15:18 IST
Business Insider
Americans have demanded an end to racist policing.Spencer Platt/Getty Images
  • The Washington Post and The Guardian obtained video surveillance footage depicting a white security camera pepper spraying and shooting a Black man to death in a motel parking lot in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
  • Footage of the racist incident comes on the eve of Trump's potentially incendiary rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
  • As thousands of Americans call to end police brutality, Trump has praised enforcement and called protesters "thugs."
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On the eve of President Donald Trump's controversial reelection campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a new video emerged that depicting the shooting of an unarmed Black father by a security guard.

The Washington Post obtained a video that shows a white security guard pepper-spraying a Black man in a parking lot before shooting him in the head, an incident police later called an "unprovoked attack." Christopher Straight, the security guard, killed Carlos Carson, who was a guest of the motel, after a dispute over a vandalized car, according to reports.

The incident occurred on June 6, but media outlets like the Post and The Guardian reviewed video surveillance released on Friday.

The Tulsa Police Department arrested Straight and charged him with first-degree manslaughter, per the unit's Facebook post. Carson, who had mental health issues, was a father of three and was working on getting back on his feet after time in prison, The Post reported.

The video, from the motel's parking lot cameras, shows Straight, standing by a pick-up truck, shooting a jet of pepper spray at him. A fight ensues in the cab of a pick-up before Carson slumps to the ground.

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"You don't get to pick a fight and then claim self-defense," Lt. Brandon Watkins, who leads the Tulsa Police Department's homicide unit, said in an interview with The Post.

New court documents reviewed by The Guardian also revealed that a Black colleague accused Straight of suggesting he was in the "country illegally" during the time the two worked as prison guards, and that former inmates accused Straight of negligence.

The new video comes on the eve of Trump's rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on June 20. The Oklahoma Supreme Court unanimously rejected a bid to require attendees to adhere to social distancing protocols, like wearing masks. Healthcare professionals and public health experts worry the rally will lead to a surge in new coronavirus cases.

Trump has sparred with protesters demanding police accountability after George Floyd's death in late May, referring to them as "thugs" and threatening violent retaliation. Earlier this week, Trump praised law enforcement and called for more "law and order" in the US.

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