Protests erupt in Lancaster, Pennsylvania as police fatally shoot knife-wielding man after he rushes at officer
14 Sep, 2020 03:58
Black Lives Matter activists have taken to the streets of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, demanding "justice" for 27-year-old Ricardo Munoz, who was killed by police after he charged at an officer with a knife.
People have been flooding to the police station in Southwest Lancaster City, chanting "Don't shoot" and other BLM slogans after an officer-involved shooting earlier in the day.
Footage on social media shows protesters smashing windows and jumping on a police car, as one of the gathering's leaders announces that "BLM riots" have kicked off in the city.
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Lancaster DA said that they have been "investigating" the shooting to determine if the use of force was justified, but noted that the preliminary investigation indicates that the knife-wielding victim posed a immediate danger to the officer's life before being killed.
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The incident took place around 4:15 pm local time, as the officers were responding to an alleged domestic disturbance.
While there is nothing in the DA's message to suggest that Munoz was mentally incapacitated, activists have alleged that the man was autistic. Protesters have also accused police of leaving the his body lying in the street "for hours" before it was taken away.
A man with the same first and last names as Munoz stabbed four people in Lancaster in March last year. At the time, police said that the suspect refused to drop his knife when ordered by officers, but was eventually taken into custody. His trial was to start tomorrow.
According to Haaretz, in the wake of sentencing Ben-Uliel's wife maintained his innocence, saying "all the evidence" showed that "my husband did not do it."
Ben-Uliel's lawyers had previously attempted to get him acquitted, and it is expected that they will appeal his sentence to the Israeli Supreme Court.
Palestinians welcomed Monday's sentencing, with Palestinian members of the Arab-majority Joint List calling the sentencing an "important moment."
"The sentence is an important moment, when too many murders of Palestinians do not even reach trial," MK Yousef Jabareen said in a statement on Twitter, adding that "this does not clear the blame of the [Israeli] ministers who incited political assassination and created an atmosphere of racist hatred."
Head of the Joint List Ayman Odeh described the sentencing as only "partial justice," saying that "full justice will be done at the end of the occupation and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel."
Hussein Dawabsheh, the father of Riham and the guardian of now 10-year-old Ahmad, said that the sentencing "will not bring anything back," echoing his previous sentiments that the conviction will not return his daughter to him, and will never ease the trauma that Ahmed experienced that day.
Hope of a full recovery for Alexey Navalny received a boost on Tuesday morning, when the Russian opposition figure published a photo from Berlin's Charite hospital for the first time since he was admitted on August 24.
Writing on Instagram, Navalny explained that he "can still barely do anything," but is now able to breathe "on his own" without a ventilator. The anti-corruption activist appears to be in good spirits, joking that he "recommends" breathing, which he described as an "amazing, underestimated" process.
Navalny's post comes just a day after a German official apparently revealed the activist's intention to return home after he recovers, in order to "continue his mission." Allegedly speaking to the New York Times, the unnamed official also noted that Navalny is "fully aware of his condition" and seems mentally sharp.
On Tuesday, his press secretary, Kira Yarmysh, confirmed that Navalny would return to Russia, saying that "no other options were ever considered."
Speaking to reporters, President Vladimir Putin's spokesman noted that news of Navalny's recovery is positive, and he would be welcomed back to his homeland.
"He is a citizen of Russia, he is free to leave Russia and return to Russia," Dmitry Peskov said. "If a Russian citizen improves his health, everyone will be happy."
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