Franklin Graham deplores 'avoidable shootings', pleas for Americans stopped by police to follow their instructions

Rev. Franklin Graham has advised people who are stopped by law enforcement to just follow instructions to avoid getting shot. 

"Too many people have been shot unnecessarily by police," Graham wrote on Facebook. "If you're stopped by law enforcement, here's some simple advice — Follow their instructions!" he added.

Graham's advice came after two deadly police shootings that occurred in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Charlotte, North Carolina, last week.

An unarmed black pastor named Terence Crutcher was shot by a female police officer in Tulsa when his SUV broke down in the middle of a street. Officer Betty Shelby stated that Crutcher did not respond to her instructions and walked towards his vehicle with his hands raised.

Video footage showed the pastor with his hands in the air before he was shot. Shelby has been charged with first degree manslaughter.

In Charlotte, Keith Scott, 43, was shot by a police officer who supposedly saw him holding a gun. Video footage has been shown to the victim's family but they stressed that it did not offer conclusive evidence whether Scott was armed at the time of the shooting. Protests have erupted in Charlotte following the fatal incident.

Graham stated that the police are on high alert and are risking their lives as they patrol the dangerous streets but he noted that many of the shootings were avoidable.

"There's no question, there are too many avoidable shootings. But if you're stopped by law enforcement — any race, any time, any place — this is something everyone can do to greatly diminish your chances of getting shot. Just do what the officer says!" Graham added.

Graham advised Americans not to argue with police officers and just obey even if they believed the authorities to be in the wrong.

"That doesn't mean mistakes aren't going to be made, but heeding this advice may save your life. No matter what our skin color, we all bleed red. We're all human beings created by God — and every life matters," Graham concluded.