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Mother of NYPD Shooting Victim Told Police Son Was Unarmed

HeadlineNov 15, 2007

Here in New York, more details have been released in Monday’s fatal police shooting of an unarmed African-American teen. Eighteen-year-old Khiel Coppin died in a hail of 20 police bullets. He was carrying only a hairbrush. Coppin’s mother had called the police for help following a violent argument with her son. But newly released transcripts of the call show the mother, Denise Owens, told police dispatchers that her son was unarmed. Owens also said the same to police officers when they arrived on the scene. Police say they opened fire after Coppin claimed to be holding a weapon. It turned out to be a hairbrush.

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