Officer Involved: young mother & infant
do NOT blindly believe the family
When there is a controversial police incident - we always warn⬇️
*Do NOT blindly believe the family*
Here’s why:
In the throes of a significant personal loss - objectivity is nearly impossible.
There is an incentive to lie💰
There was a tragic Officer-Involved-Shooting (OIS) where a young mother and infant daughter were killed during a police interaction.
The local news and MSM were quick to demonize the involved police officers.
We at PoliceLawNews encouraged everyone to hold judgement for the release of body cam footage (or other objective evidence).
Now that the body cam has been released - our approach has again proven to be correct - yet the hysterical anti-police publications still took the win for views and clicks.
What Happened
On November 7, 2024 police officers in Independence, Missouri were dispatched to a domestic dispute at an apartment complex.
Officers arrived on scene and made contact with the caller (Talisa - the paternal grandmother).
Talisa alleged that her son’s (Mitchell Holder) girlfriend (Maria Pike) had assaulted her as the two women wrestled over who was better suited to care for Mitchell and Maria’s two-month-old infant (Destiny Hope).
Talisa expressed to police officers that she wanted the young mother arrested.
Officers then knocked on the apartment door and had a conversation with Mitchell - who allowed the officers to enter the residence.
Officers went into a bedroom in an effort to interview Maria. They found Maria hiding in the closet - clutching onto the baby.
Officers asked Maria multiple times to put the baby down and spoke with her in a calm and de-escalating tone for over eleven minutes. Maria sat on the bed but refused to let go of the baby.
Use of Force
During the conversation, without warning, Maria picked up a large butcher knife (that had been concealed on the nightstand) stood up and lunged toward an officer. Maria held the knife in one hand and her infant in the other as she attacked the officer.
Officers immediately jumped back, created distance, and one officer utilized deadly force as she advanced towards him swinging the knife.
Both Maria and Destiny sustained fatal injuries.
Analysis
Maria charged an at officer with a large butcher knife - in an area where the officer had no possibility of escape.
The fact that Maria made the decision to attack the officer while clinging onto her baby does not negate the immediacy of the threat posed to the officer. It only highlights the abhorrent nature of her actions.
There was an immediate deadly threat and the officer responded with immediate deadly force.
The use of deadly force was objectively reasonable.
Lies
The 20 days in between when this OIS occurred and the release of the body camera footage provided an opportunity for the family to create a false narrative and the media was eager to provide the platform to spew this disgusting misinformation.
Mitchell (who was sitting on the end of the bed and looking at Maria as she attacked the officer) told several media outlets that Maria was NOT armed with a knife at the time of the shooting and that she posed NO DANGER to the officers.
Mitchell tried to paint the officers as bloodthirsty killers who murder infants for no reason at all.
Final Thoughts
Imagine being the involved police officer who was randomly dispatched to this DV call…
And, as you attempted to help - a crazed woman attacked you with a large knife and tried to murder you.
And you were forced to shoot this young mother to save your own life and an infant hostage was unintentionally killed as well.
I cannot imagine what that officer is going through. The years of PTSD that will undoubtedly exist - even though there is zero doubt that the officer responded reasonably and legally to an immediate deadly threat.
What an evil thing to do to another human. The entirety of the blame is on Maria.
And while trying to navigate through those impossible waters - Mitchell (who was sitting right there and witnessed it all) was out on a media tour - lying to anyone willing to listen. Making the claim that there was no knife and that the officer was not in any danger.
*Mitchell should be prosecuted like Jussie Smollett for the f*cking liar that he is.
🚔To the involved officer - we stand with you🚔
And, so do decent people across this nation.
This was not your fault. And you know it.
For all those who arm chair quarterback this, there is no way, you will ever be able to step into the shoes of these two officers, much less the officer who justifiably used deadly force.
Those who would suggest that their intentions were to kill anyone, much less a mother and child are dumb asses at best. Mitchel Holder should be prosecuted. It was outright intentional defamation of the officers, via his lying and sensationalizing of a tragic incident.
Prayers go out to this officer. There is a hard road ahead in many way.
A horrible situation made even worse by the lying family members