Another white police officer kills another black man in US

Another unarmed black man has been killed by a white police officer in the United States, amid nationwide protests over a spate of police killings of African Americans in the country.

A Phoenix police officer fatally shot 34-year-old Rumain Brisbon on Tuesday evening. He died with two bullet wounds in his torso at a north Phoenix apartment complex.

The Phoenix Police Department quickly released a detailed account of the killing, claiming the officer had been told that the victim was selling drugs outside a convenience store and that he was armed.

“The officer gave the suspect several commands to get on the ground but he refused to comply, yelling profanities at the officer,” said the police statement issued on Wednesday.

“Fearing Brisbon had a gun in his pocket the officer fired two rounds striking Brisbon in the torso,” it said.

But witnesses and community activists have challenged the police account, saying the police used excessive force.

The latest police shooting came following the high-profile police killings of Michael Brown in Missouri, Eric Garner in New York and Tamir Rice in Ohio.

A Justice Department investigation, released on Thursday, has found that the police in Cleveland has “engaged in a pattern and practice of using excessive force” because of inadequate training and a lack of accountability.

“We have determined that there is reasonable cause to believe that the Cleveland Division of Police engages in a pattern or practice of using excessive force,” Attorney General Eric Holder said.

He blamed this on “systemic deficiencies, including insufficient accountability, inadequate training and equipment, ineffective policies and inadequate engagement with the community.”

Based on a recent study by the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, 313 black people were killed in 2012 by police officers, private security guards and members of the public and in most cases, the perpetrator was not indicted.