A mother in St. Louis is upset with local authorities after a photo was leaked that she believes shows a police officer posing next to the body of her dead son.

On Aug. 8, 2016, Omar Rahman was found dead in a home, supposedly of an accidental drug overdose. The leaked photo shows an officer smiling with a thumb raised to the camera while his other hand turns over a body. The KMOV reporter who originally obtained the photo blurred out both individuals’ faces, according to FOX5.

Kim Staton, Rahman’s mother, claims that she hasn’t heard much from the police since she was notified of her son’s death. The leaked photo only increases the pain she’s experienced.

“I have seen thousands and thousands of forensic photographs, I have never seen a staged photograph of an officer next to a deceased body,” said Antonio Romanucci, Staton’s attorney.

“Who was there that allowed this to go on? Was there any sergeant involved? Those are the questions that need to be asked and that’s what needs to be found here,” he continued.

While the clear lack of concern for life is present in the photo, it also raises concerns about the security of documents and photos within the department, which former St. Louis Chief Dan Isom was more than willing to point out.

“The fact that the photo is out is just problematic, so even if you can’t determine the intentions of the officer, which by the photo, look questionable, you certainly are distressed and concerned that it’s out in the public,” Isom said.

At this point, everyone is just looking to answer questions – whether they be about how the photo was even taken or how it was made public.

This is just the latest of multiple photos that show police officers posing or celebrating around the bodies of black citizens that are either incapacitated or dead.

 

Photo: Wiki Commons