Black Man Shot For Assaulting Officer's Line Of Vision

QUINCY, MA—Speaking about the tragedy that occurred last night, Quincy Police Chief Matt Higgins held a press conference about the fatal shooting of a 32-year-old black man, Dante Williams, by officer David Roberts after Williams repeatedly assaulted the officer’s line of vision.

“The altercation began after Mr. Williams exited a convenience store and—unprompted, mind you—began to aggressively attack Officer Roberts’s sightline and peripherals causing Roberts to fire his weapon out of fear for his life,” said Higgins, citing the security camera footage that had not been released to the public. The footage allegedly showed Williams carrying out several violent attempts to enter the officer’s field of view using the crosswalk.

“A lot of these tragic deaths could easily be prevented if people like Dante Williams stopped being so aggressively visible and charging in front of police officers’ gazes. In the heat of the moment, the fear an officer experiences when a black person obstructs their line of vision prevents them from using any de-escalatory measures.” Chief Higgins concluded the press conference hoping that publicizing cases like these would protect his officers from the trauma of ever having to see a black person.

Due to a public outcry, the department has decided to penalize Roberts, placing him on two weeks of paid leave in which he’ll be reflecting on his actions during a trip to Hawaii.