Anger as armed white police officers with dogs pose with captured Black suspect
Suspect Eric Boykin arrested for alleged armed robbery in Mississippi
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Police in Mississippi have sparked anger after four white officers with dogs posed for a photo with a captured Black suspect.
The officers from Prentiss Police Department took the picture after arresting Eric Boykin for an alleged bank robbery.
Investigators say they captured Mr Boykin in a wooded area near the Hancock Bank, which he is accused of robbing with a handgun.
The manhunt included officers from the ATF, FBI, Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, the Mississippi Department of Corrections, the Louisiana State Prison System K9 team, the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department, and Columbia Police Department.
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency also used a drone to aid in the hunt.
Social media users were quick to draw attention to the optics of the police department’s photo.
“So either 1) none of the people involved, from the officers to the news station to the staffer who posted this, realized what a bad look this is or 2) they do know how it looks, and that’s why they posted it. Those are the only two possibilities! and they are both very very bad,” tweeted Josie Duffy Rice, a criminal justice system reporter and president of The Appeal.
The suspect was charged with armed robbery and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
“This isn’t evidence, it’s not proof of anyone’s injuries (or lack thereof). It’s a trophy,” tweeted @ariel_gordon.
And @Tfort9 added:”I am sitting here in utter disbelief. NO WORDS.”
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