A judge in Washington apparently didn’t realize his courtroom conversation was live on YouTube as he referred to 21-year-old Kevin Peterson Jr. killed by sheriff’s deputies as “the Black guy they are trying to make an angel out of” and called him “dumb” for supposedly thinking he would go to prison for a relatively small drug bust (article available here). Three Clark County deputies fired a total of 34 rounds, striking Peterson four times, and killing him.
Judge Darvin Zimmerman's son was on the drug task force that tried to arrest the man, but he was not among the three deputies who shot him. The judge also said Peterson’s father woke up the day after the slaying “with dollar signs in his eyes and George Floyd’s attorneys.”
The judge, first elected to the bench in 1986 after previously working as a prosecutor and receiving “law enforcement commendations," said he was “truly sorry if I offended anyone.”
Vancouver Defenders, the largest defense firm in Southwest Washington, called for Zimmerman’s resignation Monday. Prosecutors have requested his removal from all criminal cases.