Last weekend, Inglewood police responded to a vehicle where couple, Kisha Michael and Marquintan Sandlin, were reportedly unconscious upon their arrival. In the original account given by the police, they were investigating a report of a suspicious car parked near the intersection of Inglewood Avenue and Manchester Boulevard around 3 AM on Sunday, February 21st.
#MarquintanSandlin & #KishaMichael were asleep when police arrived & ultimately killed them: https://t.co/76GcwvjroM pic.twitter.com/ZM1s4nJf5V
— Keegan Stephan (@KeeganNYC) February 24, 2016
According to Inglewood Mayor James Butts, the police spent about 45 minutes trying to wake up the couple and gather more information. One officer said he could see a gun in Michael’s hand which caused officers to take cover and open fire on the couple.
NEWS RELEASE – Officer Involved Shooting pic.twitter.com/WyBFeYlXJw
— Inglewood Police (@Inglewood_PD) February 21, 2016
It is unclear whether or not the couple gained consciousness at that point, but Mayor Butts told NBC4, “Obviously at some point they were conscious because somebody felt threatened.”
The loss of these two single-parents is truly a tragedy. Michael, who was a twin, had three son and Sandlin had four daughters. Both families are demanding a more thorough investigation and a clearer answer from the police as to why they felt the need to resort to deadly force.
