IN AN incident reflecting the August killing of black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, an off-duty police officer shot and killed a black 18-year-old in St. Louis on the evening of Wednesday, Oct 8. The teen’s sudden death sparked angry responses all over town and in nearby Ferguson, where more protests were scheduled to take place the next morning, authorities said.
St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson said that the unidentified 32-year-old officer was patrolling the historic Shaw neighborhood in uniform for a private security company around 7:30pm Wednesday, when he saw three young males lurking around the neighborhood. He turned around and the men ran, so the patrol officer chased after them—first in his car, and then by foot.
During the chase, the officer got into a “physical altercation” between one of the suspects, the black 18-year-old identified by his mother as Vonderrit D. Myers.
Dotson said that at one point during the chase, the officer saw the teen’s shirt raised and saw what he thought was a gun.
“The officer said he wanted to be certain it was a gun and did not fire at that point,” he said.
In pursuit of the suspect, the officer reportedly followed Myers up a hill when the shootings took place.
According to the Chief’s report, the teen “fired at least three rounds at the police officer” before he returned fire, at least 17 rounds. The officer—whose race was not immediately disclosed—was unharmed, but Myers was killed. Ballistic evidence shows that he had tried to fire again but his gun jammed. Officials note that a 9mm Ruger was recovered at the scene.
“An investigation will decide if the officer’s behavior was appropriate,” said Dotson.
The 18-year-old’s mother, Syreeta Myers, informed the Associated Press via phone that her son was not armed, as police contend. He was actually holding a sandwich, she claims.
When asked about the evidence of shots fired at the officer and the 9mm weapon found at the scene, Myers simply said, “Police lie. They lied about Michael Brown too.”
Dotson also said that Myers was “no stranger to law enforcement,” even since he had turned 18. Court documents show that Myers had been charged earlier this year with a felony for the unlawful use of a weapon, and a misdemeanor for resisting arrest.
Angry crowds gathered Wednesday night in the aftermath of the shooting, damaging cop cars and causing havoc throughout the city. Though no demonstrators were arrested, the police chief said that some were shouting obscenities at officers, who “showed great restraint.”
“Any police officer use of force certainly will draw attention,” Dotson added. “We want to be open and transparent and as thorough as we possibly can.”
Some protestors were shouting “Hands up, don’t shoot!” in reference to the fatal shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown by white officer Darren Wilson, who has not been charged, leading to weeks of civil unrest and violent protests in the nearby suburb town of Ferguson.
At Thursday’s press conference, Democratic state Senator Jamilah Nasheed questioned why the unnamed officer approached Myers and his companions in the Shaw neighborhood in the first place.
“This is a clear case of racial profiling,” she said.
The Myers incident is reportedly the third fatal police-involved shooting in the St. Louis area since Brown’s death.
(With reports from NBC News and the Associated Press)
(www.asianjournal.com)
(LA Weekend October 11-14, 2014 Sec. A pg.6)
