Robbie Tolan shooting incident
The Robbie Tolan shooting incident took place in Bellaire, Texas, on December 31, 2008, when ten-year Bellaire police veteran Jeffrey Cotton shot unarmed Robbie Tolan, son of major league baseball player Bobby Tolan, in his parents' driveway. Tolan sustained serious injuries in the shooting and charges were pressed against Cotton. On May 11, 2010, a jury reached a verdict of not guilty and Cotton was acquitted. Minority leaders and critics around the country cite the case as an example of racial profiling and institutional racism. A federal civil lawsuit was also filed by the Tolan family. The suit was later settled for $110,000. Background Robert Tolan (born July 15, 1985) is the son of Major League Baseball player Bobby Tolan of the St. Louis Cardinals and the Cincinnati Reds. He himself played professional baseball for the Washington Nationals organization. Since the shooting incident, he has not played in professional baseball, he last played for the Bay Area Toros. Robbie was shot while Sgt. Cotton was carrying out an investigation suspecting Tolan to be the driver of a stolen vehicle. However, Tolan was the registered owner of the vehicle. Shooting incident Around 2:00 a.m. December 31, 2008, Robbie Tolan and his cousin were confronted in their driveway in the predominantly white city of Bellaire, Texas, by police officers who suspected that the young men were driving a stolen vehicle. According to relatives, the two young men were returning from a late night run to Jack in the Box. Tolan's cousin, Anthony Cooper, reported that the police officers emerged from the darkness pointing a flashlight and gun at them. The officer reportedly commanded them to stop before announcing his status as a police officer. After the officer ordered them to get on the ground, Tolan's parents, Marian and Robert Tolan, came outside to attend to the unidentified noise. At this point, Cotton arrived on the scene as backup to the original officer. Robbie Tolan and other family members report that the altercation between Robbie Tolan and Cotton ensued while Robbie Tolan was lying on the porch facing away from his mother and Cotton. After Cotton pushed Tolan's mother up against the garage door, according to the Police statement, Robbie got up from the ground and turned around toward the policeman. Tolan and his mother state that Robbie did not stand, but pushed up from lying on the ground to all fours while turning around. Cotton turned and fired a shot into Robbie Tolan's chest, sending the bullet through his lung and into his liver, where it lodged and threatened his life. Cotton stated that he thought Tolan was reaching for a weapon and reacted quickly in what he thought was self-defense. Evidence of how the bullet entered through his chest and traveled through his body to lodge in his liver suggest that Tolan was on all fours or he was bent over when he was penetrated by the bullet. Afterward Cotton searched Tolan, who was on the ground, and found no weapon