President Obama speaks out after two black men were shot

(Baonghean.vn) - In his speech on July 7, President Barack Obama had to admit that the deaths of two African Americans shot by police in recent days showed that American society has "serious problems".

After the investigation into the deaths of Alton Sterling in Louisiana on July 5 and Philando Castile on July 6 in Minnesota, President Obama had to speak up and "admit that we have a serious problem where the police are losing the trust and respect of the people."

President Obama July 7, 2016 Photo: AFP

“Obviously, these fatal shootings are not isolated incidents. They are evidence of the biggest challenges in our justice system, as well as the racial disparities that are present in the system year after year and the lack of trust between law enforcement and the community.”

It is known that at 1:00 a.m. on July 5, Alton Sterling was shot dead with multiple gunshots outside a shopping center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana after being forced to lie on the ground by two police officers.

A person captured the scene and posted it online, proving that two police officers tried to question the victim in the parking lot before opening fire.

Portrait of Alton Sterling, who was shot dead by police in Louisiana. Photo: AP

According to police, Philando Castile was shot dead in a Minneapolis suburb on July 6 at around 9 p.m. local time in Minnesota.

Castile's girlfriend was in the car and filmed Castile's final moments on her phone after police opened fire.

She said police shot her boyfriend while checking his identification after the car had to stop because of a broken headlight.

Meanwhile, the police officer's testimony said that the police asked Philando Castile to raise his hands in the air and show his identification, but he looked in his back pocket.

Amid protests over the death of Philando Castile, Minnesota's governor has admitted that the officer's response to the incident appeared to be excessive.

The deaths of several African Americans at the hands of police in recent years have continued to fuel racial tensions in the United States, leading to protests that sometimes turn into riots.

According to the Washington Post, since the beginning of 2016, US police have shot and killed 505 people. Vox added that African Americans make up 13% of the US population and account for 31% of the victims.

Chu Thanh

(According to Le Monde)