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DOJ Probe: 80% of Philadelphia Police Shooting Victims Were Black

HeadlineMar 24, 2015

A new Justice Department report criticizes the Philadelphia Police Department over inadequate training and secrecy surrounding shootings. The probe, requested by Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, found police in Philadelphia fired at people about once a week on average in recent years. In some of those years, Philadelphia saw more police shootings than New York City, a municipality with five times the number of residents and officers. Eighty percent of shooting victims were African-American. The report comes just days after prosecutors said they would not press charges against officers who fatally shot Brandon Tate-Brown, an African American they say reached for a gun during a traffic stop. His family disputes the police account.

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