SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) – The painted memorial of a man who was shot dead by police in 2019 was destroyed in Salt Lake City – but repainted for Mother’s Day.
The painting by Chad Michael Breinholt is one of several portraits along 300 West in a building south of 800 South. All are from people killed by the police. They were painted by anonymous artists, starting with George Floyd, who also repaired the paintings.
In particular, his mother, Susan Neese, told KUTV that his portrait appears to have been singled out in recent vandalism.
“We think it seems targeted because it was the only thing that was destroyed and the way it was defaced,” she said. On his portrait, eyes, mouth and name were painted over with black paint. She said the 17 murals had “become a place of remembrance for families of those killed by the police”.
Breinholt, 31, was detained on suspicion of DUI and shot in the West Valley City DUI processing room in the town hall basement. The prosecutor has not yet decided whether the shooting was justified or unjustified. Some of the shootings by those pictured on the Salt Lake City building have been found to be warranted.
“The artist worked hard to maintain them and the community’s support is greatly appreciated,” said Neese.
There are some really horrible people out there doing something so horrible and heartbreaking. But I want to draw attention to the wonderful, anonymous artists who were quick to fix the problem, especially before Mother’s Day.
Neese previously said that her son didn’t deserve to die to an officer in 2019. “It’s important to me that Chad is not remembered for the last moments of his death,” Neese told CBS Chicago.
The body camera video shared with 2News shows Breinholt telling officers that he has a gun in his shoe. A scuffle ensued in which he was shot and mortally wounded.
A portrait vandalism in the area is not the first to be flagged. Black tar was thrown on George Floyd’s portrait. Former Derek Chauvin Police Department knelt by Floyd’s neck in handcuffs. A jury found him guilty of murder and manslaughter.
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