... and the cops killed the 23-year-old:
ST. LOUIS— Two St. Louis policemen shot and killed a 23-year-old black man Tuesday just three miles south of Ferguson, the scene of more than a week of violence and protests in the wake of an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, being killed by Darren Wilson, white local police officer.
According to St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson, the suspect brandished a knife at officers. No officers were injured and an investigation is ongoing.
Sigh
There are so very many things about this that disturb me, but this was really poor wording:
"Officer safety is the number one issue,” Dotson said in a press conference following the incident. “I think we can all understand what’s going on in Ferguson. But I think every officer out here has a right to defend himself,” he added.
Is officer safety the number one issue here? Really? REALLY?!
Does anyone have a bag available for me to breathe in?
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From USA Today:
St. Louis Alderman Antonio French tweeted shortly after 1 p.m. local time: "We've had an officer involved shooting in St. Louis City. Here at the scene to keep the crowd calm and find out exactly what happened. #peace."
A few minutes later, French tweeted, "Crowd forming around crime scene."
I love Antonio French. Hopefully, he can help, but I think we need a bonafied superhero right now to keep this from turning super ugly super fast.
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The Guardian has a good article that doesn't bring up any new points, but has an excellent synopsis of the past 2 weeks in Ferguson.
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Lots of details from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and, just so we're clear, Imma need more evidence than just Chief Dotson's word on how the suspect was acting:
"The store owner and the alderwoman said the suspect was armed with a knife, acting erratically, pacing back and forth in the street, talking to himself," said Dotson, who spoke at the scene.
Employees at the market and the beauty shop called 911 and two police officers arrived, police said.
(snip)
Dotson went into the midst of the crowd and reiterated all of the details he had provided the press. Dotson's actions calmed the situation along with help from the residents, who yelled, “Listen up” and “Keep quiet,” when the crowd tried to interrupt.
Several in the crowd asked why police did not use tasers to bring down the subject. Dotson said police officers have the right to defend themselves when an agitated man is coming at them with a knife. Said the chief, “Officers have a reasonable expectation to go home at the end of their shift.”
Yeah, well, young black men have a reasonable expectation to stay alive.