Memphis police urge calm after marshals kill black man
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Police appealed for calm in a tense Memphis neighborhood Thursday where about 35 officers were injured by a rockthrowing crowd after a black man was shot dead by U.S. marshals on a fugitive task force.
Elected officials condemned the violence, and the police chief pleaded for patience while the shooting is investigated. But unanswered questions left many people angry as they bitterly recalled a litany of policeinvolved shootings around the country.
Shortly after the task force shot 20-yearold Brandon Webber Wednesday evening, people began to gather in the area and their numbers swelled as some live-streamed the scene on social media. Memphis police initially appeared in street uniforms, then returned in riot gear as people began throwing rocks and bricks.
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said about 35 officers were injured, raising the number significantly from the 24 reported earlier. He said six needed hospital treatment.
During the nighttime unrest, officers cordoned off several blocks in the Frayser neighborhood north of downtown and arrested three people. By 11 p.m., officers had used tear gas and most of the crowd dispersed, police director Michael Rallings said.
The police director implored residents to wait until the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation finishes its investigation. He appealed for people to refrain from violence and from spreading possible misinformation about the shooting.
The Rev. Andre E. Johnson said he was standing among the protesters when tear gas was released Wednesday night. He said he heard no police order to disperse.
“All of a sudden, tear gas came out, and of course, people then began to disperse,” Johnson said, adding that his eyes and throat stung.
Johnson said people are upset because they still do not know why the marshals sought to arrest Webber, calling him a beloved member of the community.
“The problem with it is they feel that police and the administration and city officials do not treat them as humans,” Johnson said. “That’s what it really boils down to: You are not worthy of an explanation.”
Spokeswoman
Keli Mcalister at the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said the Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force went to a Frayser home to look for a suspect with felony warrants. She said marshals spotted the man getting into a vehicle that then rammed task force vehicles several times before the suspect got out with a weapon.