NAACP leader, police chief talk change after officer involved shootings

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The latest officer involved shootings in our country have both civilians and law enforcement alike talking about change.

Brunswick County NAACP president Bernest Hewett said movements like Black Lives Matter need to react in order to show support in times like these.

“There has to be somebody who cares. We live in a free nation, and if by living in a free nation you’re going to go around killing people for nothing or killing a particular race of people for nothing there has to be something done,” said Hewett.

Wilmington Police chief Ralph Evangelous said these shootings hurt people on both sides.

“It causes people to have this expectation that they’re going to be treated wrongly by police or violently by police. I think police, you know some officers, feel that they’re going to be treated unfairly and that they’re going to be treated in less than a respectful manner,” Evangelous said.

Hewett said this is yet another example of why gun laws need to be looked at and changed. He said this is all part of an ongoing cycle of violence.

“When the people that serve the law begin to make the law, there’s no law,” said Hewett.

Evangelous agrees that some changes need to be made to rebuild the trust which he said is key to law enforcement serving any community.

“There’s gotta be a reasonable path we can take to try to improve things, because what we’re doing now is not working very well,” Evangelous said.