Last month, in Cincinnati, Ohio, an unarmed man named Samuel Dubose was pulled over by an officer and was shot and killed. The officer who shot this man was Officer Ray Tensing. Dubose was pulled over for not having a front license plate. When Officer Tensing walked to the car and interrogated him, he was rude and hateful toward Dubose. Not only was he hateful and rude, he also was out of his limits. He was he was a campus police at University of Cincinnati, but was off campus when pulling over Dubose. Officer Tensing had a body camera on and that was the piece of evidence the court needed to indict him for the shooting. Prosecutor Joe Deters and the Grand Jury indicted him for murder, which I believe was a very fair indictment.
Many people are happy with the results of the indictment, while others believe he should not be charged with murder or anything really. To those who believe he shouldn’t be convicted of murder or even manslaughter, how is shooting someone not one of those two things? Samuel Dubose is dead, and Ray Tensing shot him. People are often trying to bring up Samuel Dubose past and how he had a criminal record, which included marijuana and traffic charges, but nothing more than that. He was not violent, but was instead a man who was recently engaged and had 13 children. He wasn’t the perfect man, but nobody is perfect. While watching the video of the shooting, I couldn’t find one reason why Officer Tensing needed to involve a weapon, let alone harass the man who was being very cooperative.
I believe that Officer Ray Tensing should receive charges for murder or for manslaughter, because kicking him off the police force is not enough punishment. I understand that there are some things the people may not know about the incidents, but with the evidence that has been provided there is no other way for justice besides a murder or manslaughter conviction. At the current moment Officer Tensing has been set free on a $1,000,000 bond.
Another part of the story that I didn't mention is the race of Samuel Dubose. However, I don't find it necessary when telling the story. Yes, it may have been the reason why Officer Tensing felt threatened and needed to treat Samuel Dubose the way he did, but racial profiling is very ignorant. According to NBC News, the FBI reports that 66.4 percent of racial hate crime offenses in 2013 were against blacks. That percentage is higher than any other group on the list, which is saddening. I believe that justice should be served, and the white man should not win this case. I am waiting for the day when “Black vs. White” isn’t the main detail of the story or the deciding factor of how the whole situation played out. I believe in racial equality and justice for Samuel Dubose and his family. I mourn for both families, because I know Officer Tensing’s family is going through a lot as well. I hope the court sees what happened and gives a fair conviction suiting the crime.
