Hundreds In Raleigh, North Carolina Gather To Protest After Black Man Is Shot By Police
A police shooting that ended with a man being wounded during a foot-chase in North Carolina is sparking outrage in his community.
Early Wednesday (March 11), hundreds gathered in front of the governor’s mansion, demanding answers and some even burned a flag.
Firearms-related charges were later filed against the man now-identified as Javier Torres. Officers responded to a 911 call Tuesday evening made by a man at a restaurant in eastern Raleigh who claims a group of men were “talking trash” and with one of them “flashing” a gun.
Police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown said arriving officers spotted Torres before the 26-year-old reportedly ran from officers who demanded he drop the gun multiple times.
The chief said Torres was shot in the abdomen by a separate officer who joined the chase while in progress. Torres’ was later taken to a hospital, according to Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman, however his current condition hasn’t been released to reporters.
A handgun was located at the scene of the shooting, police said and no officers were injured.
Community activist Kerwin Pittman said he spoke to witnesses after the shooting, and they claim Torres was unarmed.
“The city is fed up," Pittman said. “We feel there is always something happening with the Raleigh Police Department. We feel like they are brutalizing us.”
The shooting happened in the same area where 30-year-old Soheil Antonio Mojarrad was not activated. According to an autopsy, Mojarrad was shot eight times.
The Wake County District attorney declined to pursue criminal charges against the officer in that case.