International Concern Over Killing of Arab Law Student By Police

I had no plans on writing any posts involving police use of excessive force for the rest of this year.   We are currently following the trial of Dylann Roof, who murdered 9 people in their church.  That came on the heels of following the trial of Michael Slager, who shot an unarmed running Walter Scott in the back.  The jury hung.  Slager’s trial came on the heel of the trial of Ray Tensing, who shot unarmed Sam Dubose in the head while he was sitting in his car.  That jury hung.

It’s not only the subject matter, but the judicial results that can be a burden on the heart and mind.  This afternoon, I threw off the burden when learning about another unarmed person killed by the police.   He was a human being.  He has a family. There are people who love him.  He will be missed.

The reason for this post is because I did not hear of the incident through major news sources when it happened.  There was no ticker across the bottom of the screen on CNN nor MSNBC.  (I don’t watch Fox News.)

Because I look for professional views regarding cases in court, I subscribe to Law.com in Practice.  Their Newsletters generally focus on what is happening in cases in courts and case decisions.  So, it was interesting when reading in their Newsletter about a dash cam video and a law student being shot dead by a police officer in Ohio.

Saif Nasser Mubarak Alameri

This incident is one to watch because it involves another country that is interested in how the State of Ohio is conducting its investigation into the death of Saif Nasser Mubarak Alameri.

Saif Nasser Mubarak Alameri was 26-years old.  He was a student at Case Western Reserve University School of Law .  Saif obtained a bachelor’s in law at the United Arab Emirates University. He was in the United States on a student visa and academic scholarship.

There are scant details.  According to the National Law Journal and Arab news sources, the Ohio State Highway Patrol received a call about an erratic driver on Sunday, December 4, 2016.  Alameri was driving on the Ohio Turnpike about 2:46 p.m. when he sideswiped another vehicle and flipped his vehicle, according to Hudson police.  He then climbed out of his car and fled the scene before the Ohio State Highway Patrol arrived.

Nearly one hour later, Officer Ryan Doran, a Hudson, Ohio police officer, found Alameri in a nearby wooded area off of Hudson-Aurora Road.

The 5-minute dash-cam video from Officer Doran’s vehicle records Doran exiting his vehicle with his gun drawn.  Doran shouts “Stop, or I’ll shoot! Get down! I will shoot you! Get down on the fucking ground! Get down! Stop!” The shooting takes place off camera.  Audio records 6 gun shots.  There is hesitation between the last 3 shots.   According to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, Alameri was unarmed.

The Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death of Saif Nasser Mubarak Alameri a homicide caused by a fatal gunshot to the head.

Doran is on paid administrative leave.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said it was closely following the investigation into Alemeri’s death.  The Ohio National Lawyers’ Guild and Black Lives Matter Cleveland released a joint statement demanding a thorough investigation.  As reported in Cleveland.com;

“In this case, law enforcement agents have not alleged that Mr. Alameri posed such a threat. This raises serious questions about how and why Mr. Alameri was shot, and about whether the shooting can be justified under the law,” Jacqueline Greene, co-coordinator of the Ohio National Lawyers’ Guild, said in the statement. “Running from the police does not justify the use of deadly force.” (Emphasis added.)

Ohio local news reports that Yousef Al Otaiba, the Emirati ambassador to the U.S., said Abu Dhabi police have joined UAE officials in Hudson, Ohio to discuss the case with authorities.  The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Embassy has intervened in Ohio to discuss the killing of an Emirati student by a police officer.

This is not the first incident involving citizens of the UAE and Ohio police.  The National AE reports that in July 2016, Businessman Ahmed Al Menhali, who was in the United States for treatment for heart problems, was forced to the ground by armed police after a hotel receptionist falsely reported that Al Menhali spoke in Arab pledging allegiance to ISIS.

They write;

“A shocking display by any standards, but that it was based on the foolish testimony of a receptionist who apparently mistook Mr. Al Menhali’s conversation in Arabic for a “pledge of allegiance to ISIL” makes the incident deeply embarrassing for Ohio police. In recognition of this, both the chief of police and the mayor of the town have apologised publicly.”

“As a precaution, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised Emiratis travelling abroad to avoid wearing national dress. This is completely understandable, but it is unfortunate that the prejudice against Arabs and Muslims in the US has reached such a stage that it is necessary for such a warning.”

“In general, this newspaper is against people having to drastically alter what they wear in order to feel safe. We don’t believe, for example, that women should have to alter their clothing to “avoid” sexual assault, nor that ethnic or religious groups should hide their symbols to avoid hate crime. Rather, society ought to adjust to make sure those groups are protected from assault. “

The newspaper’s view is that the police should have calmed the situation rather than escalated it with heavy weapons.   A grand jury did not indict the hotel clerk for making a false report.

 

Please note that the Arab American News reports on this incident and another involving a citizen of Saudi Arabia.

“Alameri’s incident marks the second death in recent months involving a male in the U.S. on a student visa.”

“In October, Hussain Saeed Alnahdi, 24, who was enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Stout and was a citizen of Saudi Arabia, was murdered during a violent encounter with another male. That death was not ruled as a hate crime. “

It’s Ohio, where a false report led to the death of John Crawford III, and a dispatcher omitting from a report to 911 that a gun was a toy and the person with it was a child, led to the death of 12-year old Tamir Rice.  There were no indictments against the involved officers.

Personally, and since it was an hour after the accident when Saif was found, I wonder if Saif Nasser Mubarak Alameri suffered injuries from the car accident that Doran did not take into consideration when giving Saif commands.  Saif might not have recognized Doran as a police officer and was confused with what was happening.

Here’s the video from officer Ryan Doran’s dash cam.