Orlando Barlow (1974-2003)

December 31, 2017 
/ Contributed By: Euell A. Dixon

Orlando Barlow

Orlando Barlow

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In 2003, Orlando Barlow was shotย in the back while attempting to surrender to Las Vegas,ย Nevada,ย Police officers. His murder helped generate what would eventually become a national debate about police use of deadly force against unarmed citizens and the eventual organization of theย Black Lives Matterย movement.

Orlando Barlow was a resident of Clark County which surrounds Las Vegas. On February 28, 2003, Barlow was at a residence on the 7000 block of Rustling Wind, watching the children of a female acquaintance. The woman, whose name was undisclosed, called the police, reporting that a man with a sawed-off shotgun was at her home holding her and her children hostage. She said she feared for her life and the lives of her seven children inside the home.ย  She called the police from a nearby convenience store because she did not have a phone in her home.

Police officers Jeremy Krough, James Vargas, Sean Hendrickson, and Brian Hartman arrived at the residence and began speaking with Barlow. The four officers convinced Barlow to come out of the residence. Barlow was ordered to walk backward out of the home with his hands in the air. He was then ordered to his knees.ย  Three officers approached Barlow with their weapons holstered to arrest him. Officer Brian Hartman, 50 feet away, fired one round at Barlow, fatally shooting him in the back. Barlow was just 28 years old.

Hartman was placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation. He later testified that he saw Barlow reach for his waistband while kneeling. He thought he was reaching for a gun, but Barlow was unarmed. A coroner ruled Barlow’s death โ€œexcusable. A federal probe into the investigation found that Hartman and the other officers printed t-shirts that said โ€œBDRTโ€ on them. The letters stood for โ€œBaby’s Daddy Removal Teamโ€ and โ€œBig Dogs Run Together,โ€ and the officers sold these shirts for profit. Hartman later resigned from the force to avoid prosecution.

The Barlow family filed a wrongful death federalย civil rights lawsuit in February of 2004 in the Clark County District Court. The lawsuit was later moved to Federal Court in Las Vegas. The suit cited wrongful death, civil rights violations, and the use of excessive force by officers.ย  A $250,000 dollar settlement was reached out of court for the Barlow family.

About the Author

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Multiple business owner Euell Dixon (formerly Nielsen) was born on November 3, 1973, in Sewell, New Jersey. The youngest daughter of scientist and author Eustace A. Dixon II and Travel Agent Eleanor Forman, Euell was an early reader and began tutoring at The Verbena Ferguson Tutoring Center for Adults at the age of 13. She has owned and operated five different companies in the past 20 years including Show and Touch, Stitch This, Get Twisted, Dimaje Photography, and Island Treazures.

Euell is a Veteran of the U.S. Army (Reserves) and a member of the Order of Eastern Star, House of Zeresh #103. She is also the 3rd Historian for First African Presbyterian Church, the nationโ€™s oldest African American Presbyterian church, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Additionally, Euell is also a photographer, storyteller, fiber artist, and a historical re-enactor, portraying the lives of Patriot Hannah Till, Elizabeth Gloucester, and Henrietta Duterte. Euell has been writing for Blackpast.org since 2014 and was given an award from the site in 2016 for being the only African American female who had almost 100 entries at the time. Since then, she has written over 300 entries. Euell currently lives in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.

CITE THIS ENTRY IN APA FORMAT:

Dixon, E. (2017, December 31). Orlando Barlow (1974-2003). BlackPast.org. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/barlow-orlando-1974-2003/

Source of the Author's Information:

Jace Radke, โ€œFBI looking into fatal shooting by Metro Police,โ€ย Las Vegas Sun, April 22, 2004,ย https://lasvegassun.com/news/2004/apr/22/fbi-looking-into-fatal-shooting-by-metro-police/; Jen Lawson, โ€œProbe finds three Metro officers used excessive force,โ€ย Las Vegas Sun, June 15, 2004,ย https://lasvegassun.com/news/2004/jun/15/probe-finds-three-metro-officers-used-excessive-fo/; Titania Kumeh, โ€œWhen Police Shoot and Kill Unarmed Black Men,โ€ย Motherjones.com, July 14, 2010,ย http://www.motherjones.com/crime-justice/2010/07/when-police-shoot-unarmed-man-oscar-grant-verdict-mehserle/.

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