A US police officer has been stripped of his gun and badge after he shot a mentally ill black pensioner dead.<\/p>\n
Sgt Hugh Barry was among officers called to Deborah Danner’s New York apartment on Tuesday evening to reports of an “emotionally disturbed person”.<\/p>\n
He persuaded her to drop a pair of scissors, but shot her twice after she tried to hit him with a baseball bat.<\/p>\n
They had already come to Ms Danner’s apartment on a number of occasions, each time taking her to hospital.<\/p>\n
It is not known why Sgt Barry, who had been an officer for eight years and was equipped with a stun gun, did not follow his training.<\/p>\n
The killing has sparked outrage – not just because of the 66-year-old’s race, but also her fragile mental state.<\/p>\n
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Wednesday she “should be alive right now”, while NYPD Commissioner James O’Neil said his department had “failed”.<\/p>\n
“It’s not how we train; our first obligation is to preserve life, not to take a life when it can be avoided,” he said.<\/p>\n
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