St Louis - Police fired tear gas and
rubber bullets during clashes with protesters in St Louis early
on Saturday after a white former policeman was acquitted of
murdering a black suspect.
A peaceful rally over Friday's not guilty verdict turned
violent after police confronted a small group of demonstrators -
three years after the shooting of another black suspect in the
nearby suburb of Ferguson stirred nationwide anger and debate.
Officers fired tear gas as people broke windows at a library
and two restaurants and threw bricks and water bottles at
officers. Protesters also threw rocks and paint at the home of
St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson, said Acting Police Commissioner
Lawrence O'Toole.
Nine city officers and a state trooper were injured and at
least 23 people were taken into custody, he said.
Former city policeman Jason Stockley, 36, was found not
guilty of the first-degree murder of Anthony Lamar Smith, 24,
shot to death on Dec. 20, 2011.
After the ruling, around 600 protesters marched from the
courthouse through downtown St. Louis, chanting "No justice, no
peace" and "Hey hey! Ho ho! These killer cops have got to go!"
Some held "Black Lives Matter" signs.
"I’m sad, I’m hurt, I’m mad,” Reverend Clinton Stancil of
the Wayman AME Church in St. Louis said by telephone. “We
haven’t made any progress since Ferguson, that’s clear. Cops can
still kill us with impunity."
Protesters march in St. Louis after a judge found a white former St. Louis police officer, Jason Stockley, not guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Anthony Lamar Smith. Picture: Jeff Roberson/AP
"NO PROGRESS SINCE FERGUSON"
Ferguson became the focal point of a national debate on race
relations after white officer Darren Wilson shot dead black
teenager Michael Brown on Aug. 9, 2014. Protests and clashes
broke out after a grand jury cleared the officer, giving rise to
the Black Lives Matter movement.
After Friday's verdict, one group of demonstrators tried to
climb onto Interstate 40 but was blocked by police. Another
group blocked an intersection by sitting down in the street for
six minutes of silence.
After most protesters drifted away, a smaller group of
people police described as "agitators" lingered on the streets
in an upscale neighborhood near the mayor's house. The group
taunted officers who arrived in riot gear by the busload.
"Reports of bricks thrown at police. That's not protest.
That's a crime. We stand behind our officers. This violence
won't be tolerated," Missouri Governor Eric Greitens said on
Twitter.
Smith was shot five times in his car after trying to flee
Stockley and his partner, following an alleged drug deal,
authorities said.
Prosecutors said that during the pursuit, Stockley could be
heard saying on an internal police car video he was going to
kill Smith.
A man rides a bike as police in riot gear stand watch following a verdict in the trial of former St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley in St. Louis. Picture: Jeff Roberson/AP
At Stockley's direction, his partner, who was driving,
slammed the police cruiser into Smith's vehicle and they came to
a stop. Stockley then approached Smith's car and opened fire
with his service weapon, court documents said.
The former policeman believed Smith was armed, defense
attorneys said, and a gun was found in the car. But prosecutors
argued Stockley planted the weapon and that the gun had only
Stockley's DNA on it.
Stockley's attorney, Neil Bruntrager, said his client was
relieved at the verdict. “It’s been a long road for him,”
Bruntrager said.
St. Louis prosecutor Kimberly Gardner called on protesters
to avoid violence.
“I understand the verdict has created anger and frustration
for many in our community," she told reporters at the
courthouse.
Stockley waived his right to a jury trial, allowing the
judge to decide. He left the St. Louis Metropolitan Police
Department in 2013 and was arrested last year.
Smith's family settled a wrongful death lawsuit against the
city for $900,000 in 2013, according to Al Watkins, an attorney
for Smith's fiancée, Christina Wilson.