Deaf community reacts to Oklahoma City police shooting

Oklahoma City, Okla. (KOKH) — The Oklahoma City Deaf community is reacting to news of an overnight shooting involving Oklahoma City Police and a deaf man. 35 year old Magdiel Sanchez was shot and killed Tuesday night after police say he didn't listen to commands. Neighbors say he simply couldn't hear them.

Johnny Reininger works as the treasurer for the Oklahoma Association of the Deaf. He's also a dedicated advocate for the deaf community in Oklahoma. He tells FOX 25 news he felt a wave of disappointment when he learned the news.

"How do you respond to that? I felt we need more education. I felt we need to be able to get information to the Oklahoma City Police Department about deafness and we have a lot to do there. We have deaf events that they could come to. Or they could welcome us into their events, their training's," he said.

Reininger says he sympathizes with Sanchez.

"When police officers meet me, they shine a light in my face that's the first thing they do, and I can't see and I can't hear them so how am I able to get any information from them when they're blinding me with the flashlight. Then it takes me a minute for my eyes to adjust and trying to explain that I can't hear them," he said.

"With my window I don't put it all the way down anymore. I keep it about half way because it feels more safe and I have a little bit more distance between me and them and I actually have a card that I can put on the window that indicates that I am deaf," he adds.

Reininger tells FOX 25 that the use of sign language can come off as threatening to some officers. It's something he says will clear up with better training and education in police training programs.

"We really need that clarification because deaf people they use facial expressions as part of their language everyday and sometimes officers see that and they think that it's threatening but it's really just part of the language of using American sign language."

Reininger has worked with education on behalf of the deaf community in Midwest city but not in Oklahoma City. He says he is willing and open to working with the police department for better education.