A man of Nigerian descent was confirmed dead on the October 5. The Nigerian-American man known as Chinedu Valentine Okobi and he was 36 years old. The story behind his death is that he was tased by North Carolina Police Officers. LA Times reports that Chinedu Okobi was not in possession of any arms at the time of the incident.
Ebele Okobi, who is Facebook’s Head of Public Policy, Africa stated that her brother suffered from mental illness. Steve Wagstaffe, a County District Attorney in San Mateo, reported that the victim was running in and out of traffic around Millbrae in San Francisco. He subsequently got into a bit of a struggle with an officer that approached him for his actions.
As a result of the struggle four other officers were called in as backup and while Chinedu Okobi was taken away one of the officers shot at his with a Taser gun. Okobi was consequently taken to a hospital where he was declared dead.
Though the names of the officers involved are yet to be published by the Sheriff’s office, they have all been put on paid leave pending when investigations will be complete. The Mercury News have stated that the investigation into the incident should be rounded off within ten weeks based on information from the Sheriff’s Office.
His elder sister Ebele Okobi shared a message of grief on Facebook which described her brother as a gentle and loving soul who is now one of many names to face such at the hands of officers of the law. Currently, supporters, activists, friends, and family are demanding justice for Chinedu Okobi who lost his life to police brutality.
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