On Wednesday afternoon, two officers were executing a search warrant at home where two men escaped out of the back, when police caught up to 18-year-old Mansur Ball-Bey he pulled out his gun and pointed it to the two officers, while the other suspect fled the scene.
People gathered after police shot and killed the 18-year-old male, who pointed his gun at them. After that, the police said the protestors threw bricks and bottles at them, so the armored vehicles and team of officers in riot gear were brought out.
According to CNN, Police Chief Sam Dotson said that tear gas was used on the protestors after they repeatedly ignored the police’s requests.”Officers in the rear alley ordered them to stop and to drop the gun. As they ran, one of the individuals turned and pointed the gun at the officers. There were two officers in the alley. Both officers fired,” the chief told reporters.
Dotson also claims that a car was set on fire,some businesses were burglarized, and at night blazes were reported at houses in the neighborhood.
“The Rev. Renita Lamkin of St. Charles, who regularly attended protests in Ferguson, went to Page Avenue with several other clergy members Wednesday evening. She accused the police of engaging in an overly aggressive response.
“There has to be a better way, but the better way is not to terrorize an already terrorized community,’ she said. ‘How they deal with the situation is classist and dehumanizing. The people here don’t matter as much to them.’
“Kayla Reed of the Organization for Black Struggle also said she believed officers were too aggressive toward a crowd ‘that never was all that big.’ She claimed officers gave no warning firing canisters of smoke and tear gas.”
Tensions are already high in St. Louis because of the anniversary of Michael Brown, a young black teenager who was killed by officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Mo, last year.
Follow us on Twitter @hiphopenquirer
