Phoenix-2019

A Funny, but not so Funny thing happened in Phoenix ,Arizona lately.... Dravon Ames thought he would be dead if it weren't for the cameras.

He said he feared for his life and the safety of his family as Phoenix police allegedly pointed a gun in his face and threatened to shoot him during their May 27 encounter with police in an apartment complex parking lot.

He couldn't help his six-month pregnant fiancee, Iesha Harper, as he followed an officer's order to lay face down on the hot pavement.

He thought at least his death would mean something when he saw bystanders filming, Ames told The Arizona Republic during the couple's first extended interview Monday. "At least it will be recorded and we can make a difference,"

Ames said he was thinking at the time. "We're alive to tell the story. We're alive to let people know that this is going on."

The family's lives have been a flurry of raw emotions since the first video was released to the media last week. Harper said they're still trying to heal — both physically and emotionally — as they publicly fight for justice.

The apologies of Mayor Kate Gallego and Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams aren't enough, they said.

Pulling the officer who pointed a gun in their faces off the street and onto desk duty isn't either, Harper said.

She wants to see Officer Christopher Meyer and the others involved fired. "Behind the desk isn't good enough for me," said Harper. "Sooner or later, they're going to be right back out on the streets. They should be fired. Their job is to protect and serve." '

"I was just trying to survive'' The first time Ames saw Meyer was when he knocked on the driver's side window of his car in the parking lot of an apartment complex on May 27,

Ames said. They had just left the Family Dollar and were planning to drop one of the children off at the babysitter's when they heard the knock. Both Ames and Harper said they were surprised to see him. They said they didn't know their 4-year-old daughter had stolen a doll from the store.

"The next thing I know, the officer's outside of the car, banging on the window and telling us he's going to shoot us in our face," Ames said. In one of the videos, Meyer can be seen pointing a gun into the car. An officer can be heard saying, "You're going to get fucking shot!"

Ames said he immediately wondered whether he would make it out of this situation alive. He said he tried to remain calm and comply with the officer's orders.

He said he tried to do whatever it took to make sure their family made it out of this situation safely. Ames said he was pulled out of the car and thrown to the ground, face-down onto the hot pavement.

An officer pushed a knee into his back as Ames told the officer repeatedly that he was being compliant and doing nothing wrong. He asked the officer to calm down. "I was just trying to survive," Ames said. "They could kill us and get away with it."

Ames was handcuffed and then pulled up from the pavement, he said. Meyer then slammed Ames' head into the door and closed it, Ames said. He then slammed him against the door again and told Ames to spread his legs. "When I tell you to do something you fucking do it,"

Meyer can be heard yelling in the video. Meyer kicked out Ames' legs, causing Ames to buckle forward slightly. Ames said the officer then hit him in the back and told him he could have shot him in the head in front of his kids. ''All I did was fear for my life''

Another officer came to where Harper was seated in the front passenger seat. She said she told him she was unarmed, her daughters were in the car and they were afraid.

The video shows the officer's gun drawn as he opened the door.

Harper stepped out of the car, holding her 1-year-old in her arm and clutching the hand of her 4-year-old. Harper handed her children off to a stranger when she was ordered to place her baby on the hot pavement.

The child's arm was hurt in the struggle, Harper said. "All I did was fear for my life with every second that went on," she said.

Ames was in the back of a police car for about an hour and Harper was in a different car for about 15 minutes. Ames said he was asked whether he'd stolen the car they were in. He said he told the officers he owned the car.

After all of this, They were released and neither Ames nor Harper were charged in connection with the incident.

Ames was issued a citation for driving on a suspended license. Ames said he was shocked by the use of force and the lack of respect. "I've seen people shoot up schools and walk up to a police car, and they were treated with better respect than my family was,"

Ames said. What do police say? The 16-page report the Phoenix Police Department released last week differs from the family's narrative in several ways.

Police said another woman in the couple's vehicle tried to steal aluminum foil from the store, but she dropped it after she saw Officer Nicholas Welch and fled.

 She was later arrested on three misdemeanor warrants.

The report also contends Ames admitted to stealing underwear from the dollar store and threw it out of the car window as they fled. Ames denied the allegation. There's no mention of a gun being pointed at the couple or any explicit threats in the report.

Police said the family was combative and refused to follow officers' commands. At one point, officers thought Ames was reaching for a weapon, according to the report.

Pure Bullshit...And I keep asking myself...Why does this always happen to Black people? Why?

These two cops should be fired...

The story about underwear being stolen was a lie...The four year old may have taken the doll, but all small children, three and four years old (regardless of race)will just grab something they want..I've seen it too many times myself..

And whether or not...A dollar pair of panties or boxer shorts and a dollar Barbie doll doesn't call for guns being drawn, people being thrown to the ground and a pregnant woman with two small children being cussed at and handcuffed...

This was overkill...(Thank god there were no fatalities..) It's not like they robbed the bank and came out with sacks of money..

Screw an apology from the Mayor and the Police Chief...Those two bozo cops are still getting a paycheck and still on the force whether they are at a desk or not..THEY SHOULD BE FIRED,PLAIN AND SIMPLE!!!

The City has been sued for 10 million because of their stupidity.....I'd fire them for no more than that!