Clyde Kerr III: Black Louisiana deputy posts videos slamming police brutality, racism before killing himself
Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s deputy Clyde Kerr III, took his own life after posting a shocking video on social media, in which he condemns police brutality while addressing the difficulty of relating with his identity as a Black man and a cop. The video soon went viral and was eventually taken down by YouTube.
Throughout the video, the veteran touches upon the fatal killing of several Black people including George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Kerr III also had haunting messages to share about racism within the police division and how many of them involved with the killing of people of color have gotten away without facing the consequences.
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Clyde Kerr III said the system did ‘not a give a damn’ about him
Kerr III was a father and military veteran who began serving with the sheriff’s office in June 2015. According to CNN, he served in Afghanistan and Iraq as a soldier. He worked as a deputy on patrol and a member of the SWAT team. The late cop also served as the resource officer in the southern Louisiana district.
Even though he took pride in his job, he told in the video recorded on January 31 that he no longer wanted to serve a department that did not care enough about people “who like me.” Kerr III said, “I’ve had enough of all this nonsense … subservience. Of serving a system that does not give a damn about me or people like me.”
“My entire life has been in the service of other people … y’all entrust me to safeguard your little ones, your small ones, the thing that’s most precious to you, and I did that well. I passed security clearance in the military … but that has allowed me to see the inner workings of things,“ he further said.
“You have no idea how hard it is to put a uniform on in this day and age with everything that’s going on,” he said in one of the videos.
In reference to Botham Jean, the Black man who was shot to death by former Dallas cop Amber Guyger, he said, “Botham? Shot in his own apartment. How does that work?” He went on as he names other Black victims of police brutality, “Floyd? Man. Breonna? That sh-t is not right! I’m telling you it’s not right. And they’re getting away with it.”
He hinted at suicide in the final video
While explaining the impact of the violence and negativity that he was exposed to in his job, Kerr III hinted at suicide when he said, “I’m a small cog in this whole big machine but I’m jumping off.” He also said ending his life was a conscious choice that he made to “protest.”
He said, “This is my protest against police brutality and everything else that comes along with it in this broken, wicked, worldly system that does not give a damn about people.”
Kerr III died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head outside the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s office, according to Capt. John Mowell.
Meanwhile, his fellow officer Michael Robinson who confirmed Kerr’s identity in the video said, “He told me that he thought about resigning just because of how everything was, and I told him if he did that in this climate, I don't think anybody could fault him for it. But I said, 'Man, those kids would really miss you.' That's basically the reason he was still there.”