US shootings ‘not isolated incidents,’ Obama says
US President Barack Obama says the recent shootings of two African Americans by US police are "not isolated incidents" and are “deeply” troubling to Americans.
Two graphic videos shot in the US states of Louisiana and Minnesota shocked the American nation this week by showing the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile in the hands of US police officers.
"All Americans should be deeply troubled by the fatal shootings of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minnesota," Obama said in a statement on Facebook on Thursday.
"We've seen such tragedies far too many times, and our hearts go out to the families and communities who've suffered such a painful loss," Obama said.
According to Washington-based researcher and historian, Randy Short, the deaths mean the law enforcement has no “respect for human rights.”
“If something doesn’t happen miraculously, we’re going to see mass criminal violence in this country,” Short told Press TV in an interview Thursday, blaming the US government for the situation.
President Obama also said in his statement that the incidents are part of “broader challenges” that the nation is facing.
"They are symptomatic of the broader challenges within our criminal justice system, the racial disparities that appear across the system year after year, and the resulting lack of trust that exists between law enforcement and too many of the communities they serve," said the country’s first black president.
As the release of the two videos caused outrage among members of the African American community as well as human rights activists, Obama praised the US police for what they do, yet admitting that racial profiling within the law enforcement is a “serious problem.”
"To admit we've got a serious problem in no way contradicts our respect and appreciation for the vast majority of police officers who put their lives on the line to protect us every single day," he said.
The use of excessive force by law enforcement has become the focus of national debate, particularly over high-profile killings of African Americans by mainly white officers during the last several years.
Police in the United States killed over 1,150 people in 2015, with the largest police departments disproportionately killing at least 321 African Americans.
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