The hashtag #shawshooting was trending late tonight after south St. Louis residents took to the streets following a fatal, officer-involved shooting incident. News consumers should learn from the past and be wary of inflammatory claims made by overzealous advocates on all sides. But, alas, many won’t.
Here’s the story for now. The victim’s name has been identified as VonDeritt Myers. He was reportedly holding a sandwich, which was reportedly mistaken for a gun.
And here’s the scene at the intersection of Shaw and Klemm, plus the surrounding area where marchers have gathered. Not all of them are congregating “peacefully,” unfortunately.
There have been Twitter calls for “avenging” the victim’s death.
A plea for calm. Let’s hope it’s not futile.
Update 2:20am. St. Louis police chief Sam Dotson held a press briefing late tonight to provide more details of the gun battle between the officer and the 18-year-old victim.
