Rosa Hammer

How they died

Deadly force

During a traffic stop, officer attempted to search passenger Rosa Hammer's backpack, to which she did not consent and which contained marijuana. They struggled over the bag and wrestled on the ground; officer warned Hammer to stop resisting. Per Officer Ron Kessler's statement, he saw a gun in the backpack and attempted to draw his own weapon, which did not fire after he pulled the trigger twice. Hammer then shot him in the hand with her gun. Officer drew his backup weapon and shot Hammer three times in the torso. She died at the scene. Witnesses included the other driver and Hammer's 5-year-old daughter.

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Rosa Hammer, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources