Family of Deaf Father Killed by Police Speak Out

VIDEO [CC] - Deaf News: Family members of Deaf father killed by North Carolina trooper speak out to the media in Charlotte.



CHARLOTTE, NC -- WCCB: Donors raised more than $2,600 for the family of the hearing impaired man killed when a state trooper shot him Thursday. Daniel Harris’ family says they will use the money to pay for his cremation.



Troopers say Harris was speeding and failed to pull over on I-485 Thursday night. When he did stop on Seven Oaks Dr., Trooper Jermaine Saunders says Harris advanced. That’s when he says he shot.



His immediate family members are also hearing impaired. His brother, Jay Harris, spoke to WCCB Charlotte through a sign language interpreter. “He was unarmed,” said Jay Harris. “And he is a Deaf individual, and I think that he was just afraid.”

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Jay Harris thinks his brother was unaware Trooper Saunders was trying to pull him over for speeding. Trooper Saunders says he shot Harris because he was advancing and not following commands.



“He could not hear their warnings. He could not hear their commands to stop or to stay away from them,” said Jay Harris.



Harris was a father of a four-year-old little boy. Family says his mother is in the hospital with a heart issue since the shooting.



“He was shot, and now we’re left with nothing,” said Jay Harris.



They want the state to document in the DMV system when a driver is Deaf to alert officers when they pull over someone who is hearing impaired.



“What is wrong with us, and what is wrong with a system that allows this to continue to happen? It needs to stop,” said Jay Harris. “Daniel’s death represents that he is a hero in our Deaf community. He will raise awareness on this issue so that we can prevent this from happening to other Deaf people in our community.”



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VIDEO: Deaf News: Deaf man fatally shot by trooper after chase in Charlotte.



CHARLOTTE, NC -- A man killed by a state trooper in northeast Charlotte after a traffic stop escalated into a chase is Deaf, according to neighbors.



Investigators say Trooper Jermaine Saunders attempted to pull over a Volvo on 485 for speeding. However, they say the driver, Daniel Kevin Harris, did not stop.



The chase continued off 485, to Rocky River Road exit, eventually ending at Seven Oaks Drive with both vehicles damaged.

"I was here in my driveway and I saw the highway patrol car come through and it was smoking really bad," said Mark Barringer. "About 10 seconds later, I heard one gunshot."



Barringer says when he went to take a closer look, he saw Harris in the middle of the street. He died just a few feet from his front door. Several neighbors have put flowers near where Harris took his final breaths.



"It was surreal, you just don't expect to see something like that," said Barringer. "When the gunshot went off, it was scary."



Detectives say Trooper Saunders and Harris got into "an encounter" before he fired his weapon. Neighbors say Harris' car spun out of control and was shot almost immediately after exiting the vehicle.

They say Harris was likely trying to communicate with the trooper using sign language before he was killed.



"They should've deescalated and been trained to realize that this is an entirely different situation, you're pulling someone over who is Deaf, they are handicapped," said Barringer. "To me, what happened is totally unacceptable."



Trooper Saunders has been placed on administrative leave.



The SBI is leading the investigation. They say they will review dash and body cam videos from Highway Patrol and CMPD.



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Related Story:

Family of Deaf Father Killed by Police Speak Out

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