ST. LOUIS (AP) — Two months after a Ferguson officer killed Michael Brown, setting off intense national debate about law enforcement treatment of minorities, the shooting death of another black 18-year-old by police in nearby St. Louis has reignited anger among activists already planning weekend protests.
Police say Vonderrit D. Myers was shot Wednesday after he opened fire on a white, off-duty officer, but Myers’ parents say he was unarmed. Some activists and lawmakers say Myers was targeted because he was black and are asking the Justice Department — which has opened a civil rights investigation into the death of Brown, who was unarmed — to investigate his shooting.
“This here was racial profiling turned deadly,” said state Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, a St. Louis Democrat.
The shooting happened as activists and other protesters from around the country prepared for four days of rallies, marches and protests over the Brown shooting. Organizers say the events, which start Friday and include a march Saturday in downtown St. Louis, have taken on added urgency.
“This is a racial powder keg,” said Jerryl Christmas, a St. Louis attorney who was among more than 20 black leaders who joined Nasheed at a news conference Thursday outside police headquarters. “All this is going to do is escalate the situation.”
Brown’s Aug. 9 death spurred weeks of unrest in Ferguson and the rest of the St. Louis area. A state grand jury is deciding whether the officer who shot him, Darren Wilson, will face charges.
