She kept scrolling until she saw the headline. Her speech would need to be rewritten.
Chapter 26
Black male killed by Police
16-year-old Jay Flynn was shot and killed by an on-duty police officer Wednesday evening in Harlem. Flynn was on his way home from school when approached by the police officer who asked to see his I.D., according to Flynn’s friend Damon John who was walking with him. Flynn questioned the officer why he was stopped and when he opened his jacket to take out his wallet the police fired his gun, John said.
“We are very sorry for the loss of Jay Flynn and are investigating the incident,” said Harlem Chief of Police Martin Sanders in a statement. According to the statement, one shot was fired at the ground as a warning shot. The bullet ricocheted and shards hit Flynn in the chest and face.
Flynn and John were both rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. Flynn was pronounced dead in the ambulance. John was treated in the hospital and sustained minor wounds on his right arm and shoulder.
The police statement says that warning shots are only fired if suspects resist and show signs of violence toward the officer. Chief Sanders said the ricochet was an unfortunate occurrence and that the officer had not intended to injure the suspect.
The officer, whose name has not been released, placed the call for backup and the ambulance after the bullet was fired. Chief Sanders said the officer will be on leave until the incident is investigated.
When Madeline finished reading the story, she silently closed her phone and slipped out of bed. There was work to be done, a response to be drafted and she needed her full team working on it overnight. If only her SAVER Bill had been implemented already, she thought, this was exactly the kind of incident she believed her bill could avoid. If only that officer wasn’t so afraid of African Americans and that young boy wasn’t so skeptical of the officer’s intentions.
By the time Madeline made it downstairs to her kitchen table, Jane had already texted her three different versions of the news story she had just read. Madeline called her chief of staff, who sounded wide awake even though it was already after 11:00 PM. Jane said all the team members were on the way to the office and would figure out everything before their upcoming event the following night.
Madeline too would head into the office, she said. She couldn’t do much from home anyway. She quietly slipped back upstairs to get dressed and then jumped into her car to drive. As she drove her cell phone rang and who it was didn’t surprise her at all.
“I guess you saw the news,” Madeline said instead of hello when she answered.
“Saw the news? I just spent the entire evening in the hospital with Damon. He and Jay used to go to the community center when they were younger. Before they got involved with, you know, different activities,” Hunter responded.
“So are you calling to tell me that my SAVER Bill is still a waste?” Madeline asked. As she spoke, she heard her phone beep notifying her of another call on the line. It was one of her colleagues in the senate who supported her bill. While her head told her to hang up on Hunter—she needed to answer that call—she wanted to hear what he had to say.
“Actually no,” he responded. “I think I can help you. I saw your reelection campaign launch is tomorrow and I’m actually about to step on a redeye to California. Rhonda’s there with the kids and we have a court hearing tomorrow morning. Bitch sued me for divorce across the country to screw me over. Anyway, I thought if you want, I could give a talk about your bill at your event.”
Madeline’s phone kept beeping. Jane was calling again. Another senator who opposed her bill. Madeline should be answering these calls. “Sure,” she said quickly.
“Great, I think my perspective could be really useful for your campaign, seeing as this shooting was in my district and, well, I’m black. I guess if I help you win you won’t forget me forever,” Hunter said.
“Hunter, I have to go,” Madeline responded. “Send a speech to Jane, my chief of staff, and she’ll set everything up.” Hunter seemed like he was about to keep talking but Madeline quickly hung up the phone.
“Madeline Thomas,” she answered the next call that came through. It was another senator who had been on the fence about outwardly supporting her bill. But this incident seemed to change his mind. When she arrived at the office, Jane was waiting for her in the parking lot. She had drafted a statement for the press, as journalists had been calling to get Madeline’s response to the incident. As they walked to the elevator, Madeline read the statement and gave Jane a couple comments before giving her approval. Jane also proposed she personally speak with the New York Times journalist who called, after all, that paper had been friendly to her, despite her being a republican. Madeline agreed and was handed a phone with the journalist on the line when she entered her office. She answered a few questions, plugged her talking points about the SAVER Bill and why her reelection was now so much more important.
“This must hit you close to heart,” the journalist said
