MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Police appealed for calm Thursday in a tense Memphis neighborhood where a rock-throwing crowd gathered after federal marshals fatally shot a black man who, authorities said, had rammed a police vehicle with a stolen car.
Thirty-six officers suffered minor injuries from flying rocks and bricks in the hours following the death of 20-year-old Brandon Webber, who was killed Wednesday evening after he exited the car holding some type of weapon, authorities said.
Webber had been wanted in a June 3 shooting that happened during a car theft about 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Memphis in Hernando, Mississippi. The victim was shot five times and survived. The car was the one used to ram the police vehicle, according to DeSoto County, Mississippi, District Attorney John Champion, who spoke Thursday at a news conference.
Local responses to Memphis shooting
"The ACLU of Tennessee extends its condolences to the family and friends of Brandon Webber. The loss of any and every young person's life is a tragedy. While facts continue to emerge about the details of Mr. Webber's killing at the hands of one or more United States marshals, many questions arise. Were any attempts made at de-escalation or resolving the situation in a different way? Was shooting Mr. Webber over a dozen times, if reports are accurate, really necessary? Official answers could take months to come out – in the meantime, the community is reeling. The response in Frayser to the shooting last night was clearly one of pain, of frustration, of anger. While we in no way condone violence against police officers, the boiling point reached by some individuals in the crowd last night is the consequence of decades of injustice, discrimination and violence against Black people in Memphis and beyond. Indeed, just days before Mr. Webber's killing by U.S. marshals, the Shelby County district attorney announced that a Memphis police officer would not face any charges for the fatal shooting of a young, unarmed Black man, Terrance Carlton, while he was lying on the ground. This is, of course, but one of many examples of a police killing where there are no charges against the officers, nor convictions, even in the face of video evidence. Regardless of what Mr. Carlton, or Mr. Webber – or anyone – is accused of, in our country when someone is accused of a crime, we have a thing called due process. Of course people in Frayser are upset and angry. We should all be angry. No doubt in the coming days, we will hear more and more about Brandon Webber. We will hear about the warrants out for his arrest. We will hear about things he said on social media or things he is accused of doing. We will hear less about his children, or his parents, or his dreams for what his life could have been. To ignore the pain of those protesting in Memphis – instead responding with a militarized show of police force – only illustrates and reinforces the problem. To adapt the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., unrest is the language of the unheard. To stem the erosion of trust between the community and law enforcement, it is incumbent on Memphis leaders to start listening. This means acknowledging the community's legitimate pain and anger. It means allowing space for community members to grieve together and to protest peacefully together, without facing assault-style weapons and riot gear. It means a swift, thorough and transparent investigation into Mr. Webber's killing, including the prompt release of body camera and other footage and evidence. And it means current and future elected officials taking ongoing steps to enact meaningful reforms, together with community members, to prevent future violence at the hands of law enforcement and to begin to rebuild trust." - American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee executive director Hedy Weinberg "Thank you to the Memphis Police Department, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Marshals for their work to contain the riots and keep the people of Memphis safe. I am closely following the situation and continue to receive updates from the TBI. My prayers are with the officers who suffered injuries and the people of Memphis." - Senator Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.
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 recalled other police shootings around the country.
On Thursday evening, dozens - including Webber's father and other friends and relatives - gathered near the house where he was shot.
Memphis police looks over a damaged squad car after protesters took to the streets of Frayser in anger against the shooting a youth identified by family members as Brandon Webber by U.S. Marshals earlier in the evening. Dozens of protesters clashed with police, throwing stones and tree limbs until police forces broke up the angry crowd with tear gas. (Mark Weber/Daily Memphian)A couple of men spoke into megaphones and some motorists who drove by honked their horns and shouted messages of encouragement. There was a light police presence with a couple police cars parked at a nearby fire station that was damaged during Wednesday night's unrest.
Shortly after Wednesday's shooting, people began to gather in the area, and their numbers swelled as some livestreamed the scene on social media. Memphis police initially responded in street uniforms, then returned in riot gear as people began hurling rocks and bricks.
During the 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.
Rallings implored residents to wait until the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, or TBI, finished its investigation. He appealed for people to refrain from violence and from spreading possible misinformation about the shooting.
"I need everyone to stay calm," Rallings said.
He later told WREG-TV that while peaceful protests are allowed, authorities would not tolerate further attacks on officers or any property damage or looting. Among steps designed to maintain public order and protect law enforcement, Rallings said, officers' days off have been canceled and they will ride in two-person cars as a precaution.
A Shelby County Sheriffs Deputy dressed out in riot gear keeps an eye on the street after protesters took to the streets of Frayser in anger against the shooting a youth identified by family members as Brandon Webber by U.S. Marshals earlier in the evening. Dozens of angry protesters clashed with police throwing stones and tree limbs until police forces broke the mob up with tear gas. (Jim Weber/Daily Memphian)/The Commercial Appeal via AP)Separately, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said through a spokeswoman that the shooting would be fully investigated. Lee's press secretary, Laine Arnold, said the crowd's actions were "not representative of the community, but we stand firmly against acts of lawlessness that threaten the safety of our neighborhoods."
Webber's home was in a working-class neighborhood of north Memphis. By Thursday afternoon, the police presence was minimal, with two squad cars parked in front of a fire station. No uniformed officers were visible. About 20 people stood outside of Webber's one-story house, and others gathered nearby. One woman wept loudly and hugged a man as she cried.
The Rev. Andre E. Johnson said he was standing among the protesters when tear gas was released. He said he heard no police order to disperse.
People were upset because they initially did not know why the marshals sought to arrest Webber, said Johnson, who called 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. That's what it really boils down to: You are not worthy of an explanation," said Johnson, speaking hours before the Mississippi prosecutor described the allegations against Webber.
TBI spokeswoman Keli McAlister said a 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 car, which then rammed task force vehicles several times before the man got out with the weapon.
Frayser community residents taunt authorities as protesters take to the streets in anger against the shooting of a youth identified by family members as Brandon Webber by U.S. Marshals earlier in the evening, Wednesday, June 12, 2019, in Memphis, Tenn. Dozens of angry protesters clashed with police throwing stones and tree limbs until police forces broke the mob up with tear gas. (Jim Weber/Daily Memphian via AP)Marshals then opened fire, she said. McAlister did not say how many marshals fired or how many times the man was shot. The TBI identified the dead man as Webber.
Authorities provided no details about the type of weapon or the charges that drew the task force's interest. A criminal history for Webber released by the TBI listed two arrests, in April 2017 and April 2018, on charges including weapons possession, drug dealing and driving without a license.
The 2018 charges were not prosecuted, and the 2017 charges were dismissed, court records showed.
Webber's father, Sonny Webber, told The Associated Press by phone that his son leaves a 2-year-old boy and a young daughter, with another daughter on the way: "He would have had three children. Now he'll have a child that he won't get to meet."
The TBI is routinely called in to investigate police shootings around the state. TBI investigators typically deliver a report to the local district attorney, who then decides whether to pursue charges against officers involved.
At least two journalists also were hurt in Wednesday's violence.
Memphis-area police shootings in the past four years have prompted sporadic protests. Among them was Darrius Stewart, an unarmed 19-year-old who was fatally shot during a fight in 2015 with Connor Schilling, a white officer who was trying to arrest him on outstanding warrants.
A Shelby County district attorney recommended that Schilling be charged with voluntary manslaughter, but a grand jury refused to indict him.