At Least 24 Officers Injured After Riots Sparked by Fugitive Being Shot
At least 24 Memphis police officers were injured Wednesday night in a riot that erupted after a black Memphis man wanted on an outstanding warrant was shot by federal authorities.
Protesters threw rocks at police and smashed the windows of police cars and a nearby fire station in an hours-long standoff.
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said in a statement Thursday that in addition to the 24 officers and deputies injured, two journalists were also hurt in the disturbance, according to CNN. Six officers were taken to a hospital.
“Let me be clear — the aggression shown toward our officers and deputies tonight was unwarranted,” Strickland said.
Strickland praised the conduct of Memphis police.
“I was proud of our first responders. I’m impressed by their professionalism and incredible restraint as they endured concrete rocks being thrown at them and people spitting at them,” he said.
The incident began in the Frayser community of Memphis at about 7 p.m. when a man wanted on a felony warrant tried to ram vehicles of the regional U.S. Marshal’s Service fugitive task force after authorities tried to arrest him, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Keli McAlister said, according to NBC.
McAlister said the man exited the vehicle with a weapon.
“The officers fired, striking and killing the individual,” McAlister said, adding that no officers were injured.
Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer identified the slain man as Brandon Webber and said she went to the neighborhood “because I stand with my people. People are hurting.”
“Don’t judge Frayser without asking a community how it feels to mourn their youth over and over again,” she tweeted.
I was in Frayser tonight because Brandon Webber was shot 16-20 times in his family’s front yard on the same day as the Pulse nightclub shooting anniversary and on the same day that the DA chose not to charge another police officer for murdering a civilian.
— Tami Sawyer (@tamisawyer) June 13, 2019
The Daily Memphian reported that Demetrick Skinner, who is identified as Webber’s cousin, said up to 20 shots were fired at Webber.
Memphis police were summoned to the scene in a support role, but soon became the target of a crowd that gathered and threw objects at them. Three people were arrested in the chaos that followed. Police said what they called “a chemical agent” was used to disperse the crowd.
Memphis police said on Twitter that they were not involved in the shooting.
“I need everyone to stay calm,” Memphis Police Director Mike Rallings said. “If your home was vandalized or you were harmed, we need you to call police.”
Rallings said his department supports the right to protest but draws the line at violence.
“When this happens in a neighborhood, the neighborhood is victimized,” Rallings said, according to WMC-TV.
“The officers did an enormous job tonight showing restraint in a very volatile situation.”
Down in Memphis tonight, in response to a police killing of a Black male, there are reports of several cop cars being shot up, police being injured with rocks, and even news reporters on the scene are getting knocked out pic.twitter.com/eR0f3ODKBl
— Tariq Nasheed ?? (@tariqnasheed) June 13, 2019
Some officials demanded an investigation.
“The community wants answers into tonight’s incident. We are asking for calm and restraint by all and complete transparency in the investigation of tonight’s officer involved shooting,” Democratic state Rep. Antonio Parkinson wrote on Instagram.
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