Anthony Lowe, Jr. was shot eight times by police after a call to a stabbing. Officers claim that when they arrived on the scene they saw Lowe with a 12" (30 cm) butcher knife. They also stated that they tried to taser Lowe twice, but to no avail.
Video that a passer-by took shows Lowe, who lost both legs below the knee, out of his wheelchair and trying to escape the police, using his arms to propel himself.
Police say that Lowe continued to threaten them with the knife, prompting the fatal shooting.
Lowe was, at the time, experiencing a mental health crisis. His death demonstrates that police need more training in de-escalation techniques and need to regard deadly force as a last resort - a very last resort.
The police involved in his death need to be disciplined, if not fired. Meanwhile, this country's entire law enforcement system is in desperate need of a serious overhaul.
