14 years since Deaunta Farrow shooting

A look a back as racial tensions and police relations remain in national headlines

ralphhardin@gmail.com Last month West Memphis marked two somber anniversaries — the 1993 West Memphis Three child murders and the 2020 killing of two West Memphis police officers by a pair of so-called Sovereign Citizens.

Tomorrow is the anniversary of another tragedy in the community — one that is still echoing through the hearts and minds of people here 14 years later.

On June 22, 2007, 12-yearold DeAunta T. Farrow was shot and killed by West Memphis police officer Erik Sammis. His death sparked protests in the community and sparked animosity between the West Memphis Police Department and members of the Black community.

The shooting brought national attention to yet another death of an unarmed Black citizen at the hands of police officers. There was no Black Lives Matter movement at the time — that would come six years later — but those who would decry the treatment of Black men by law enforcement would recall Farrow’s death as an example of a troubling pattern.

DeAunta Farrow had just graduated from the sixth grade at Maddux Elementary School in West Memphis that May. On the evening of June 22, he was walking with his 14-yearold cousin Unseld Nash Jr., from Farrow’s home to the nearby Steeplechase Apartments where Nash lived. Along the way the two made a stop at a convenience store for snacks before continuing their journey. It was then that the pair found themselves at the wrong place at the wrong time.

The boys turned up the street leading to Nash’s apartment. At that point, two undercover West Memphis police officers, Sammis and Jimmy Evans, who were on a stakeout in a narcotics investigation, appeared from a nearby dumpster. It is there that eyewitness testimony becomes conflicting.

According to some eyewitnesses, the two police officers confronted the young men and soon afterwards Sammis, noticed something bulging in the 12-year-old’s coat pocket. As Farrow removed the item, Sammis shot and killed him. Some, including Sammis, claimed that Farrow pulled out a toy gun and made a gesture at the officers at which point, Sammis, fearing for his life and the life of his partner, shot the boy. Other witnesses claimed that Farrow only pulled out the soda and chips he had just purchased.

Farrow’s death generated outrage in the predominantly- Black West Memphis community. Just days after the shooting, hundreds of angry residents packed a Police Commission meeting at the West Memphis City Hall where they demanded answers as city officials called for calm and asked that everyone wait for the results of an Arkansas State Police and U.S. Department of Justice investigation.

In the meantime, Farrow’s funeral was held on July 1, drawing a crowd of more than a thousand mourners who turned out to pay their respects. With the national spotlight shining on the case, activist Rev. Alfred Charles Sharpton Jr. flew down from New York to give the eulogy at Farrow’s funeral. Sharpton used the platform to demand more information about the shooting from city officials. Four years later, on April 22, 2011, the U.S. Justice Department concluded its investigation and ruled that officers Sammis and Evans acted were not criminally liable in the indicent and acted properly under the circumstances, and thus could not be held accountable in Farrow’s death.

Now, in 2021, the nation is dealing with what some are calling an epidemic of Black people being killed by the police.

Almost weekly, we are being told of another incident in which a Black person has died at the hands of law enforcement.

Whether it is Trayvon Martin or George Floyd or DeAunta Farrow, the isue remains one that must be addresses. While no amount of protest or legislation or backlash or coming together will bring these individuals back to their families, we must find a way to enforce our laws and keep our communities safe in a way that does not result in needless deaths.

Note: Portions of this article were written using information gathered from the advocacy web site www. BlackPast. org.