Pastor Protesting Death of Unarmed Teen Shot With Rubber Bullet By St. Louis Police
A pastor involved in protests against police in a St. Louis suburb was reportedly shot by a rubber bullet Wednesday while chanting "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus."
Renita Lamkin, an African Methodist Episcopal pastor, said she was reportedly standing amid a peaceful protest in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson on Wednesday when police began shooting rubber bullets and her and other protesters. A photo posted to Lamkin's Twitter account shows she was struck by a rubber bullet in the stomach, where the powerful projectile left a deep bruise and broken skin.
Lamkin told The Huffington Post that she was "standing in the middle of the street, with people behind me, and the police were in front of me." Lamkin said she had been chanting "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus," and then she attempted to mediate between the police and protesters, reportedly explaining to the police "They're moving, they're leaving."
"And then there was a pop!" Lamkin exclaimed.
The pastor was joining others in protesting the recent death of 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was fatally shot by Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson on Saturday when Wilson was responding to the alleged robbery of a convenience store. Police waited until Friday to release Wilson's name, saying they had received death threats and were attempting to protect the police officer and his family.
Protests, looting and riots have been taking place in Ferguson since Brown's death, with many in the community equating Saturday's shooting to the death of Trayvon Martin, a Florida teenager who was shot by a neighborhood watchman when he was unarmed, walking home from a convenience store to his dad's house.
