Washington, D.C. April 5, 2023- On February 28, 2023, Alaunte Scott was murdered on the 4300 block of 3rd St. SE by U.S. Marshals (USMS) assisted by D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Alaunte was shot seven times in the back. Public statements from law enforcement do not add up. The family and the community demand body-worn camera footage and answers.
Alaunte, lovingly known as Tae, was incredibly proud to be a father. Being a good dad was very important to him. He had a strong bond with his siblings and was committed to being a positive role model to his younger brother.
Law enforcement began assassinating his character as early as their first press conference. Their narrative played on the perceived criminality of young Black men to justify his execution, essentially killing him twice.
Black Lives Matter DC Core Organizer Jonetta Johnson explains, “MPD and the media have no regard for victims' families' mental health. Producing these narratives about the victims adds to the stress, depression, and PTSD we go through because of the tragic loss of our loved ones. When police kill loved ones, the families are denied support from the Victim’s Compensation Fund. When MPD killed my brother De’Andre Johnson, these narratives made grieving much more difficult.”
Alaunte graduated with Cohort 11 of the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement’s (ONSE) Pathways Program in November 2022. During the program, Pathways paid for him to stay in a hotel as part of the wrap-around services they offer participants. When the program ended, housing support stopped before ensuring permanent employment. Despite this and while facing housing insecurity, Alaunte did not return to the streets.
The statements of MPD Chief Robert Contee and U.S. Marshal for the Superior Court of DC Robert Dixon were vague. They strategically repeated allegations that Alaunte had multiple outstanding warrants. Dixon told reporters that the warrant USMS had was “legitimate.” He added that giving specifics of the other alleged warrants “in the DMV area” “was not particularly interesting or particularly of value.”
Our quick search showed only one open DC case for allegedly tampering with Alaunte’s detection device on February 8, 2023. A bench warrant was issued during a status hearing on February 23, 2023, for failure to appear. At that hearing, the judge placed the warrant in abeyance for a few hours acknowledging “the defendant has been compliant with pretrial check-ins per PSA representative.” Questions remain about how the device was allegedly tampered with and if it was related to medical imaging.
U.S. Marshals reportedly parked and waited outside for hours before seeing Alaunte. It appears Alaunte’s probation officer called him less than 30 minutes before the Marshals killed him. Alaunte was headed straight to the probation office after taking out the trash.
Police allege Alaunte ran “a short or slight distance” and “produced” a gun. Leaving out details furthers community suspicions that the police are not telling the truth. Did the police see a gun? What specific threat did Alaunte allegedly pose to officers?
Chief Contee said an MPD officer “responded to this location to assist the U.S Marshals of D.C Superior Court Division.” He did not provide a reason MPD was called to respond, the number of MPD officers on the scene, or what they did there. We demand the release of all MPD body-worn camera footage and officer names immediately.
MPD’s Force Investigation Team (FIT) investigates all murders in the District. Wilfredo Manlapaz, Assistant Chief of the Internal Affairs Bureau (IAB), leads the FIT. Manlapaz is being sued for race and gender discrimination by two Black women fired for speaking out. They reported that Manlapaz “used his power to shield white officers from consequences for misconduct…”. MPD’s lack of thorough and transparent investigations of police murders is well documented. MPD regularly fails to question officers’ accounts thoroughly, keeps investigations secret, and ignores opportunities to de-escalate. In addition to MPD, the US Department of Justice (DOJ), the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and the D.C. Attorney General’s office shield cops.
Police murders are not isolated incidents or the actions of a few bad apples. They represent the core functions of the institution of policing. As we fight for Alaunte, we also fight for 17-year-old Dalaneo Martin, who was killed on March 18, 2023, in D.C. by US Park Police. We fight for all Black people killed by police in D.C. and beyond.
“Our position is crystal clear; if the officers did nothing wrong, then there should be no problem immediately releasing the footage, providing the officers’ names, and answering questions the family and community have. Refusal or hesitation would signal they have something to hide,” says April Goggans, a Core Organizer with Black Lives Matter DC.
Demands:
We demand the Department of Justice release video footage from the apartment complex’s surveillance cameras, and all investigative reports and findings related to Alaunte Scott’s murder.
We demand the US Marshals Service release the names of the US Marshals that killed Alaunte Scott and release all investigative reports and findings.
We demand Mayor Bowser and Acting Chief of Police Smith release all investigative reports, and findings including Force Investigation Team (FIT) reports, and all MPD body-worn-camera footage related to Alaunte’s murder.
Press Contact: April Goggans press@dcblm.org
Black Lives Matter DC (not part of the national BLM organization) is a member-based abolitionist organization centering Black people most at risk for state violence in DC, creating the conditions for Black Liberation through the abolition of systems and institutions of white supremacy, capitalism, patriarchy, and colonialism.
Website: dcblm.org
The following organizations have signed below in solidarity with the family of Alaunte Scott:
8A05 SMD
Black Swan Academy
Cedar United
Children of the Light
Civil Rights Corps
Claudia Jones School for Political Education
Coalition of Concerned Mothers
Community Shoulders
Davon Thomas McNeal Foundation
DC Abortion Fund
DC Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression (DCAARPR)
DC IWOC
DC Jobs With Justice
DC Safety Squad
DC Statehood Green Party
Diverse City Fund
East of the River Mutual Aid
Festival Center
Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop
Frontline Action Hub
Grassroots DC
Harriet’s Wildest Dreams
HIPS DC
Katarungan DC
La CollectiVa
Life After Release
Long Live GoGo
Malcolm X Grassroots Movement (DC Chapter)
Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America
NAACP, DC Branch
Pan African Community Action ( PACA)
Party for Socialism and Liberation DC
Peace Fellowship Church
Regina's Place
Sanctuary DMV
Serve Your City/Ward 6 Mutual Aid
Sincere Seven
Stop Police Terror Project DC
Sunrise DC
Talking Drum
The Festival Center
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom