Men carrying the casket of Bonita Carter during her funeral in Birmingham, Alabama.

Carter, a 20-year-old African American woman, was killed on June 22, 1979, by police officer George Sands during an incident at Jerry's Convenient Store in the Kingston neighborhood in Birmingham. She had committed no offense, but Sands fired at the car she was driving without seeing her or ful...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Ayres, Jerry
Format: Electronic
Published: Alabama Department of Archives and History
Subjects:
Online Access:http://cdm17217.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/amg/id/124808
Description
Summary:Carter, a 20-year-old African American woman, was killed on June 22, 1979, by police officer George Sands during an incident at Jerry's Convenient Store in the Kingston neighborhood in Birmingham. She had committed no offense, but Sands fired at the car she was driving without seeing her or fully understanding the situation. Though an extraordinary committee found the shooting to be unjustified, an internal investigation determined that the officer had acted in accordance with established policy, and he was not removed from the police force. For more details, see https://www.al.com/reckon/2020/11/decades-before-black-lives-matter-bonita-carter-changed-alabama-forever.html