Trump Order Releases of Police Officers Who Were Imprisoned for Kill..i..ng a Black Man in Washington.

US President Donald Trump granted pardons on Wednesday to two police officers in Washington who had been convicted in the 2020 murder of Karon Hylton-Brown, a 20-year-old Black man, as reported by the White House. In September 2024, Terence Sutton Jr. received a sentence of 66 months in prison, while Andrew Zabavsky was sentenced to 48 months for their roles in an unauthorized police chase that resulted in a fatal accident on October 23, 2020, in Northwest Washington, D.C. The Justice Department indicated that the officers remained at liberty while appealing their convictions. The Metropolitan Police Department disclosed that Sutton, in his early 40s, and Zabavsky, in his mid-50s, were on “indefinite suspension without pay, pending our administrative process.” Sutton was convicted in late 2022 by a unanimous federal jury after a nine-week trial, facing charges of second-degree murder, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and obstruction of justice. Zabavsky was convicted of conspiracy to obstruct justice and obstruction of justice. The jury concluded that Sutton’s reckless driving during the police pursuit directly led to Hylton-Brown’s death, demonstrating a “conscious disregard” for the potential danger. Furthermore, Sutton and Zabavsky were found to have conspired to conceal the circumstances of the crash from authorities. The DC Police Union had advocated for pardons for both officers. Sutton’s attorney, Kellen Dwyer, expressed optimism that the D.C. Circuit would have overturned the conviction, but he welcomed Trump’s decision to resolve the case. Zabavsky’s attorney, Christopher Zampogna, also expressed gratitude to the president. Karen Hylton, the mother of Hylton-Brown, conveyed her shock and grief upon learning of the possible pardons. The incident took place several months after the death of George Floyd, an event that ignited worldwide demonstrations against police violence and racial inequality. Trump's decision to pardon Sutton and Zabavsky comes on the heels of a contentious action earlier this week, in which he granted clemency to approximately 1,500 individuals involved in the January 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection, including some who had assaulted law enforcement officers. The Fraternal Order of Police, the largest police union in the United States and a supporter of Trump in the upcoming 2024 election, along with the International Association of Chiefs of Police, released a joint statement conveying their profound disappointment regarding the pardons.