The Associated Press found that Black people make up a disproportionate number of those who died after being restrained, beaten or shocked with stun guns by police officers over a decade. Accounting for 12% of the U.S. population, non-Hispanic Black people made up a third of the more than 1,000 fatalities. The three-year investigation, led by AP with FRONTLINE (PBS) and the Howard Centers for Investigative Journalism, buttresses studies by researchers who demonstrated that Black people endure discrimination in all aspects of the criminal justice system. Jameek Lowery, a 27-year-old from Paterson, New Jersey, died two days after he was restrained and repeatedly punched by officers, according to records. His case offers a window into how those circumstances can play out.
