Protesters Gather In St. Louis After Teen Shot By Police
Protests surged in St. Louis, Missouri on Wednesday night after the mother of a black teenage claims an off-duty police officer shot her son when he was unarmed.
The protests on Wednesday night carried a similar flavor to those that took place in August regarding slain teen Michal Brown, who was unarmed when he was shot by a police officer in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson.
Syreeta Myers told reporters Wednesday that her son, Vonderrit D. Myers, had been unarmed when he was shot by an off-duty police officer while carrying a sandwich on Wednesday night.
The St. Louis Police Department is reportedly arguing that Myers was the first to fire his gun on Wednesday night, but the gun jammed after three rounds and the policeman then returned fire.
Police Chief Sam Dotson, of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, told USA Today that the police are trying to allow protests to carry out while the department investigates Wednesday's incident.
Police have not released the name or the race of the officer involved in the shooting.
"We will do everything we can to support everybody's right to protest and allow their voices to be heard as long as it doesn't infringe on other people's rights," Dotson said.
"An investigation will decide if the officer's behavior was appropriate," the police chief added to reporters.
Protesters reportedly gathered on St. Louis streets on Wednesday night to chant slogans like "hands up, don't shoot." Similar protests occurred back in August for Brown, with protesters chanting demands for justice and transparency in the incident.
