Protests that rocked St. Louis over the weekend continued into Monday morning in the city’s center as people filled the streets to express outrage at Friday’s not-guilty verdict of an ex-police officer accused of murdering an unarmed black man.
Missouri Rep. Bruce Franks Jr., who represents St. Louis, led the protest Monday morning, a silent march through downtown to City Hall. Franks had one message for his constituents and fellow elected officials: “You will stop killing us.”
Former St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley shot and killed Anthony Lamar Smith after a short car chase in 2011, and prosecutors alleged he planted a gun in Smith’s car to justify the shooting. The judge in the case said there wasn’t enough evidence to prove the killing was premeditated, even though a video of the shooting shows Stockley saying, “We’re killing this motherfucker.”
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