Black Community News News and Commentary for Christians
Following a vigil held Sunday for the black teen shot by a Ferguson, Mo., police officer the previous day, widespread violence and looting plagued the city, instigated by those upset by incident.
Since then, without details regarding what precipitated the 18-year-old’s death, numerous sources have attempted to convict the officer – and his department – in the court of public opinion. Reports indicate the New Black Panthers traveled to Ferguson to pass out a list of “demands,” which include identifying the officer responsible and charging him with murder.
The group also reportedly wants to see “the racial composition of the Ferguson Police Department” more accurately “reflect the racial demographics of the community.”
As Fox News contributor Todd Starnes noted, Barack Obama spoke out on behalf of Brown and his family but “did not release a statement offering sympathy to the police officer who was allegedly attacked” or “to the business owners whose stores were burned and looted.”
Additional information came out Wednesday that suggests Brown’s death was anything but a murder. Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson confirmed the still unidentified officer who shot him was seriously injured by the teen.
The “side of his face was swollen” after Brown struck him, Jackson confirmed, though he did not offer specifics regarding the officer’s condition.
Police did, however, offer some insight into the events leading up to the shooting. According to reports, Brown was with a friend at an apartment complex when the officer attempted to get out of his cruiser.
The teen reportedly initiated an altercation, pushing the officer back into the vehicle and struggling to retrieve his weapon. A fatal shot was then fired within the car, police confirm.
While some onlookers claim Brown had his hands raised just before he was shot, the confirmation that the officer sustained facial injuries suggests there was, in fact, an altercation prior to the incident that sparked widespread anger in the community.
According to the Associated Press, some in the crowd of hundreds gathered to protest the shooting advocated violence as a solution with chants of “Kill the police.”
Police also confirm a local officer received death threats after he was falsely identified as Brown’s shooter.
Sadly, a NBC analyst doesn’t think the city needs peace; instead, she encourages for outrage and more violence.
Wow. @LisaBloom says Obama's call for calm in Missouri was wrong. "We need outrage." Incitement?
— Noah Rothman (@NoahCRothman) August 13, 2014
.@jimjrdetore Horrible. Solutions here: http://t.co/GlDpsIxr5W
— Lisa Bloom (@LisaBloom) August 13, 2014
Justin Koski contributed to this report.
BCN editor’s note: This article first appeared at Western Journalism.
