Call for action comes in the wake of a Niles police-involved shooting death last week

Staff report

WARREN

The Trumbull County Chapter of the NAACP issued a call to action Sunday for local and federal officials in response to the Niles police-involved shooting death last week of Matthew Burroughs outside a city apartment complex.

“The tragic loss of Matthew Burroughs to excessive force once again demonstrates the disarray within our country. An unarmed black male is a victim in our small community of Niles. Matthew was aggressively shot four times by two Niles police officers,” Annette McCoy, president of the Trumbull County chapter of the nation’s oldest civil-rights organization, said in a statement released Sunday night.

She added that the NAACP, community leaders, faith leaders and concerned citizens are calling for five concrete actions in the wake of Wednesday afternoon’s shooting. They include:

*A credible investigation into the incident and accountability for the law enforcement officers’ actions.

*Establishment of a civilian review board with subpoena power.

*Launching by the U.S. Department of Justice of a full criminal and “pattern and practice” investigation into the shooting and other complaints within the Niles Police Department.

*Congress to enact legislation to mandate official standards for and training in the use of force for all law- enforcement officers. The community should reach out to elected officials to support this mandate.

*Immediate action on the requirement of body cams for all Trumbull County enforcement officers.

Burroughs, 35, who lived in the Royal Mall Apartment complex, was shot multiple times by Niles police about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday as he sat in his car in the parking lot of the apartment complex. He died of those wounds.

Citing 2017 statistics from the Washington Post database, McCoy said that of 987 police shooting victims, 223 of which were black and 179 of which were Hispanic, only 39 of the police involved had body cams.

“A lot of questionable shootings could be clarified, including the one in Niles, if the police had had body cams. It would be good for everybody involved, including the police,” said McCoy.

The Vindicator contacted Capt. John Marshall of the Niles Police Department who had not seen and would not comment on the NAACP’s statement.

Neither would Marshall comment on the investigation because it is in the hands of BCI.

However, Marshal did say that body cameras related to the incident were part of what was turned over to BCI.

“The lack of accountability and transparency within our communities can no longer be tolerated. The NAACP is committed to a proactive approach in police shootings and any other acts that violate civil rights,” she said.

McCoy said the NAACP plans to ask for complaints to be filed against the Niles Police Department, as it has successfully done in Warren City, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, and the Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office.

McCoy also called for standards for training in the use of force for all law enforcement, as well as sensitivity training.

“In Warren, we have chaplains that sometimes ride along with the cops. Niles police need to open up communications with the community, be more of a presence in the community, and take a positive approach of building the relationships in the community,” said McCoy.

Matthew Burroughs’ death will not be one of the statistics that has been attributed to unnecessary force in a community, but part of what will take place to make justice happen, she said.

“First and foremost, through all of this we offer condolences the family,” said McCoy.

“There is a ripple effect when something like this happens. A child will be born without a father, and there are other children and family members involved,” she said.