Trump Pardons: Controversy in Washington

President Donald Trump has pardoned two Washington police officers convicted in the 2020 murder of Karon Hylton-Brown. The officers, sentenced in 2024, were found guilty of a dangerous car chase leading to Hylton-Brown's death. Trump's pardon has sparked mixed reactions from legal representatives and Hylton-Brown's family.

In a move stirring controversy, U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday granted pardons to two police officers involved in the 2020 death of Karon Hylton-Brown, a 20-year-old Black man, according to official statements from the White House.

The officers, Terence Sutton Jr. and Andrew Zabavsky, were sentenced in September 2024 to 66 and 48 months respectively, following a high-speed chase on Oct. 23, 2020, that led to Hylton-Brown's death in Washington D.C. The officers, who appealed the court decision, remain indefinitely suspended, per the Metropolitan Police Department's administrative policies.

Reactions to Trump's decision have been deeply divided. While the officers' attorneys expressed relief, citing potential reversals on appeal, Hylton-Brown's mother was left in shock. National police associations have criticized the move, highlighting broader tensions surrounding law enforcement and systemic inequalities.

(With inputs from agencies.)