Rebecca Klar
The HillWed, 02 Sep 2020 21:17 UTC
© Getty Images
A police officer fatally shot a man in Southeast Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, according to police.
The man was pronounced dead after being taken to a local hospital, Police Chief Peter Newsham said
at a briefing.
Police had responded to the area to follow up on a report of guns in a vehicle, Newsham said. When they approached the vehicle, people inside the vehicle fled on foot, he said.Police recovered two firearms at the scene. Newsham said it had not yet been determined if the man was armed.
He said officials have yet to confirm the identity of the man who was fatally shot, but that "information suggests it's an adult." A person at the briefing was heard claiming the victim was 17-years-old and unarmed.
D.C. Councilmember Trayon White (D) said the victims' mother told him her son was a "kid" and lives about two blocks away from where the shooting happened, according to
NBC 4 Washington.
Asked why the officer fired a gun, Newsham would not say, adding that he would be "speculating" and it would be "improper" to address at that time.
The shooting occurred around 4 p.m. in the 200 block of Orange Street SE, according to police.
Community members gathered to protest the shooting and were heading towards the police department's 7th District headquarters on Alabama Avenue SE, the NBC-affiliate reported.
Police said Alabama Avenue SE is closed between Knox Place and 24th Street SE, according to the outlet.
Comment: More from RT:
'Burn this motherf**ker down!' WATCH protesters descend on DC police station after officers fatally shoot 18yo suspect
Scores of demonstrators have gathered at a Washington, DC police station to protest the death of another young black man at the hands of officers, reportedly shot after brandishing a firearm during a foot chase.
More than 100 people congregated outside of the DC Metro Police Department's 7th district station on Wednesday night following the police shooting of Deon Kay, 18, who later died of his injuries. Videos that circulated on social media captured the tense atmosphere outside the police station, including a brief scuffle with officers.
In a statement issued in the wake of the shooting, the DC police said that they responded to a call "to investigate a man with a gun," finding two suspects who fled on foot. Officers pursued the two men, after which Kay is said to have "brandished a firearm," and was shot one time in response, ultimately killing him. The second suspect was not apprehended.
Citing a law passed in June which mandates the release of police body cam footage within five days of an officer-involved shooting, protesters have demanded the MPD publish the video immediately.
While the demonstration at the 7th district station remained largely peaceful before disbanding - barring a brief pushing match near the beginning of the event - a small group of activists have traveled to the home of DC Mayor Muriel Bowser to continue the action, according to journalist Ford Fischer, who livestreamed from the scene of the protest. Police were already stationed at the mayor's residence by the time protesters arrived.
Fischer also spoke with a local elected official, Paul Trantham, who said the police bodycam footage would be released sometime on Thursday, adding that it showed that the officers involved in Kay's shooting had "acted appropriately."
Video surfaces of 18yo shot dead in DC brandishing handgun moments before his death
Video appearing to show the latest young black police shooting victim, Deon Kay, brandishing a pistol moments prior to his attempted arrest and fatal foot pursuit has surfaced online.
Police shot Deon Kay, 18, during a foot pursuit after responding to a call about a "man with a gun" inside of a car. When confronted by police, Kay ran, and was shot once during a brief foot chase. He later died of his injuries. The incident sparked a fresh wave of Black Lives Matter demonstrations in the US capital.
The video was gleaned from Kay's Instagram account, which was subsequently deactivated. It shows Kay and another person, whose face is covered with a balaclava, pointing guns at the camera while listening to music in a vehicle.
The other suspect was reportedly arrested but not shot after he also fled the scene. Two other people, named as Marcyelle Smith and Deonte Brown, remained in the vehicle and were arrested. Smith was reportedly also found in possession of a handgun.
DC Metropolitan Police are expected to release body cam footage of the fatal foot pursuit on Thursday.
The shooting provoked an immediate response from protesters who surrounded then DC Metro Police Department's 7th district station on Wednesday night. A splinter group of protesters and activists also descended on DC Mayor Muriel Bowser's home.
UPDATE: Bodycam footage has been
released:
The teen, Deon Kay, is shown holding a handgun:
Two of the four suspects in the car flee on foot, and the officer gives chase. As he begins to chase the lead suspect, he turns back to his right and sees Kay running with a handgun and shoots the teen in the chest. The incident takes about six seconds from the time the officer shuts his door and begins moving toward the suspects' vehicle.
The officer was identified as Alexander Alvarez. Newsham said police quickly released the video, four days sooner than required by law, to clear up "misinformation" about the shooting. "Misinformation can lead to a lot of disturbances," he said.
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'Burn this motherf**ker down!' WATCH protesters descend on DC police station after officers fatally shoot 18yo suspect Video surfaces of 18yo shot dead in DC brandishing handgun moments before his death UPDATE: Bodycam footage has been released:
The teen, Deon Kay, is shown holding a handgun: