Crime & Justice

Florida Authorities Flew Surveillance Plane Over Presser on Deputy Who Shot Two Teens: Report

CAUGHT IN THE ACT

According to flight data obtained by Motherboard, Florida Highway Patrol circled a surveillance plane over a Ben Crump press conference on teens shot by police.

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KEREM YUCEL/Getty

Florida Highway Patrol repeatedly circled a surveillance plane over a press conference held by civil rights attorney Ben Crump last week as he announced a lawsuit against local police for the shootings of teenagers Sincere Pierce and Angelo “A.J.” Crooms, according to a Motherboard report. The press conference followed an announcement by the Florida state attorney’s office that the cop who fired 10 shots at the teens during a traffic stop will not be facing charges. “For allegedly running a Stop sign, you shoot and kill these babies,” said Crump during the presser. Motherboard say they were able to confirm the plane’s presence using publicly available flight data, which matched the flight path of an aircraft registered to Florida Highway Patrol to the time and location of the press conference. A rep for Florida Highway Patrol said that the spy plane was being “used to monitor and ensure the proper flow of traffic and crowds.”

Read it at Motherboard