ROCK ISLAND, Ill. (AP) — The NAACP is calling for a federal investigation after the Rock Island County prosecutors ruled that a Rock Island police officer was justified in the fatal shooting of an armed African-American man.
State’s Attorney John McGehee says Officer Ryan DeRudder shot 32-year-old Darrin Langford in April after Langford refused to drop his weapon. Witnesses said Langford had fired the weapon before the officer arrived. The prosecutor says the still-armed Langford was shot three times when he started to pivot after a foot chase. Langford was shot in the right side of the back, the right hip and left buttock.
The NAACP’s Berlinda Tyler-Jackson says the shooting highlights the need for police to wear body cameras and that many questions would have been answered if the officer was wearing one.
