Over 100,000 People Sign Petition to Investigate Teen Shot 7 Times By Police While Surrendering

February 17, 2021

A petition calling for the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office to investigate the death of Christian Hall, 19, who was shot by police while experiencing a mental health crisis has garnered over 100,000 signatures.

The petition was set up by the family’s lawyer, Ben Crump, and has garnered 110,152 votes out of its 150,000 goal as of this writing.

Gareth J. Hall, Christian’s father, shared the petition on his Facebook on Tuesday, asking people to sign and call for an independent investigation into his son’s murder.

“Please sign the petition and say no,” he wrote. “An independent investigation outside of the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office needs to be made, and those officers be suspended in the interim, without pay. My son’s life mattered.”

Hall was shot and killed by Pennsylvania State Police after a call was made about a distraught man on the bridge at the Route 33 southbound overpass over I-80 in Hamilton Township on Dec. 30.

In a statement, authorities said Hall had a firearm and was uncooperative at the time. But a new video showed the teen was cooperating and had his hands raised when the officers shot him seven times.

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“Christian is not alone in his tragic and unjustifiable death,” Crump said in the petition. “Many minorities –– Black, Asian, and Hispanic alike –– continue to witness lives like Christian’s ended by police during mental health crises and realize they too may face great danger by calling 911 for help. This should NOT be the case.”

In addition to the petition, over 40 people marched outside Philadelphia City Hall on Feb. 12 to protest the killing of Hall, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

The protest was organized by local activists, including Veronica Carden, who said Hall’s case is another example of how police handle mental health emergencies with fatal consequences.

“We were marching through the dilapidated asphalt streets of Philadelphia in the summer, in the blazing heat and sometimes pouring rain, and now we are readying to demonstrate again in frigid temperatures because nothing has changed,” Carden said. “Police have proven time and time again that they are not equipped to handle anything, especially delicate mental health emergencies.”

Feature Image via Facebook

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