Dozens of police officers in riot gear faced off against an angry crowd in downtown Salt Lake City late Saturday night, after police shot a black teenager who was attacking a man with a broomstick near a homeless shelter.
Two police officers who were in the area covering another call responded to the report of an assault, and ended up shooting the assault suspect four times.
A witness who was a friend of the teen who was shot claimed that the police opened fire without giving sufficient warning. In a report in the Salt Lake City Tribune, Selam Mohammad said:
…the victim and a man were in a confrontation, and the victim was holding part of a broomstick at his side when officers ran up.
“They told him to put it down, once,” Mohammad said, and “started shooting him as soon as he turned around.”
Mohammad said that the teenager was hit in the chest and stomach.
That suspect survived the shooting, but it did not stop an angry mob from gathering and spitting at the police, throwing glass and bottles at law enforcement, and chanting “Fuck The Police.”
Nearly 100 officers from Salt Lake City and neighboring communities had to be called to the scene. Police were forced to close down some streets and sidewalks in Salt Lake City to maintain order.
— Lisa Nico (@LisaNicoNews) February 28, 2016
Anti-police commenters wasted no time in attacking the police on Twitter.
Cops! Is it possible to stop a fight w/ 2 guys where the weapon's a broom w/o shooting them 4 times? #policeshooting https://t.co/WM8eA95ebT
— Rachel-ness (@Supermochella) February 28, 2016
https://twitter.com/FTP_Ch/status/703808690470531072
At press time, there were no details released with the identity of the victim of the plea shooting or the person he was assaulting.
Follow Breitbart News investigative reporter and Citizen Journalism School founder Lee Stranahan on Twitter at @Stranahan.
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