Thirty-four-year-old Jeffrey Dennis may or may not have been an angel and let’s just get that out of the way. What we do know for sure is that he deserved a whole lot more respect from people purporting to be law-enforcement officers than the way he was taken out by Officer Richard Nicoletti.
Dennis, the engaged father of three, was traveling down a one-way street when an unmarked police car entered the street going the wrong way. The narcotics team was headed to Dennis’ home to serve a search warrant when they said they spotted his Camry on a street near his home.
The video made clear that the plainclothes cops came to do business. Within seconds of arriving on the scene, they had a pickaxe ready to break Mr. Dennis’ window. No waiting around for this black man to comply with orders.
No finesse. No sophistication. Just take him out, already. Philadelphia’s Attorney General Josh Shapiro claimed that he conducted a “thorough” investigation; to be fair, he didn’t claim that it was an independent and unbiased investigation.
“My Office conducted a thorough four-month review of this case, interviewing witnesses, examining video footage, and analyzing all available evidence. We applied the facts to Pennsylvania law, and accordingly, no criminal charges against Richard Nicoletti will be filed by my Office.”
“Violations of police procedure do not always rise to the level of criminal charges. Whether Philadelphia Police Department procedure was followed during this incident was not in the scope of our investigation, and will be addressed by Commissioner Ross and the Department.” (my bold)
Uh? What were you investigating for four months if not to determine whether Nicolleti followed department procedure?
So tonight, Jeffrey Dennis is dead for no good reason, leaving behind a grieving fiancee and three fatherless children, and the man who murdered him is free and will remain free. This is how lynching looks in the 21st century.