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Christian Hall: Pennsylvania parents call for independent investigation into police shooting death of their son


The teen was in a mental health emergency and was at gunpoint when Pennsylvania State Police shot him dead on December 30, 2020, authorities said.

Soldiers respond to “reports of a distraught and suicidal male” standing on a bridge in Hamilton, Monroe County.

Upon arrival, they immediately discovered Hall standing on the ledge of a concrete barrier overlooking the highway and later determined he had what appeared to be a gun, according to a police statement. and an investigative report on the case issued by the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office.

After Hall’s death, law enforcement determined he was carrying a pellet gun made to look like a semi-automatic pistol.

Christian Hall with his mother Fe.

Hall initially obeyed police orders to put his weapon on the ground, according to police, but as the soldiers continued to negotiate with him, he “became uncooperative and retrieved the gun and start walking towards the Army.”

“As a result, soldiers opened fire on Hall,” police said in their statement, adding that he was taken into custody and received immediate medical attention at the scene. was taken to a local medical center, where he was pronounced dead.

Christian’s parents – Gareth and Fe Hall – insist their son never pointed a weapon at the police and that he actually surrendered to the troops when he was killed, attorney Devon M. Jacob told CNN late afternoon. Thursday. Jacob and civil rights attorney Ben Crump are representing the Hall family.

The statement in December by the state police – which said the soldiers were justified in their shooting – was “misleading” and “false”, Jacob said, and he believes the video has not been edited. The correction was subsequently issued by the Monroe County DA’s office by subpoena supporting it.

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Jacob subpoenaed unedited video of the melee from state police in April, and new footage – which he received in July – shows PA State police “not equipped or trained to end the incident safely,” he said.

“Pennsylvania State Police shot and killed an individual who was clearly surrendering, this is an unlawful murder,” Jacob added.

The Monroe County DA’s office did not respond to CNN’s questions, including why the Hall family did not show the original, unblurred video of their son’s final moments of life before The public determined that the officer’s actions were justifiable and their response Jacob’s assertion that the DA’s office did not refer the case to the state attorney general for independent review.

PA State Police did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.

According to CNN’s assessment of the unedited video – provided to CNN by Jacob – Hall was not seen pointing a weapon at an officer, as the state police indicated in a December 2020 statement, prior to the arrival of the military. soldiers shot at him.

He, as police and the DA office describe, ignored dozens of police orders to drop his weapon.

Following what appeared to be warning shots fired by one of the officers at the scene, “Hall then raised the gun to his side and then upward by bending his elbow at an angle. 90 degrees,” the DA office said.

“After ignoring other commands to drop guns, both Corporal 1 and Corporal 1 fired a total of about eight shots at Hall, who fell to the street,” the DA report describes.

The edited version released by the DA office in March blurs the moment of Hall’s death, but his gestures and physical actions are accurately reflected in their reporting, as reviewed by CNN.

Hall filed a complaint with the PA Attorney General, the FBI and the Justice Department, Jacob told CNN.

As of late Thursday night, CNN had yet to receive a response from those offices.

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