Protesters in Pittsburgh held a fourth straight night of demonstrations Saturday demanding justice for 17-year-old Antwon Rose, who was shot in the back last week while fleeing police after a traffic stop.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote that the protest lasted about four hours and went through the heart of the city’s South Side before disbanding at around 10 p.m.
“Three shots in the back. How do you justify that?” the crowd chanted as they slowly marched, some holding signs and picture of of the slain teen.
On Friday, there were four arrests at demonstrations over Rose’s shooting. Police said they were also looking for a black sedan which plowed through the crowd but somehow caused no injuries. Demonstrations Saturday night, while tense at times, went on without incident.
CNN reported that protest organizers have made a list of demands for city officials, including removing from service the officer who opened fire on the unarmed teenager. They are also calling on the district attorney of Allegheny County, where the shooting occurred, to recuse himself from the case. They say the case should prosecuted by the Pennsylvania attorney general.
#AntwonRose protest moves through the South Side in Pittsburgh pic.twitter.com/fIDuwJvzNn
— Erin Hebert (@erinehebert) June 24, 2018
As ThinkProgress’ Elham Khatami reported last week, Rose was shot three times in the back and killed by an East Pittsburgh police officer late Tuesday. Cell phone video captured the incident and protests that have roiled the city since the shooting.
Police pulled over the vehicle in which Rose and other occupants were riding because they were investigating a shooting in the area a few minutes earlier.
Pretty intense scene here betpolice and protesters pic.twitter.com/5bxiwkqPAA
— Andrew Goldstein (@angolds) June 24, 2018
It remains unclear why the officer shot the teen, who did not appear to pose any immediate danger to the police officers as he ran away. His funeral has been set for Monday.