Several hundred people took to the streets in Salt Lake City holdings signs that read things like, “Stop killer cops” in a protest against police shooting that left a 17-year-old Somali refugee critically wounded.
The Monday night rally in Utah — where speakers urged people to stand up to police and demand accountability — highlighted the latest flashpoint in the national discussion about police use of force, especially with minority victims.
Civil rights groups are calling for a thorough investigation and for police to make public body camera video of the incident.
Police say Abdi Mohamed was shot twice in the torso when officers intervened as Mohamed and another person attacked someone with metal sticks.
Police are withholding footage from body cameras worn by the officers, citing the ongoing investigation and the possibility that the teenager could face charges.
Two civil rights groups are calling for a full and transparent investigation of a Salt Lake City police shooting that left a 17-year-old Somali refugee in critical condition.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Utah said Monday it hopes that Abdi Mohamed and his family are treated fairly and compassionately as investigators sort through what happened Saturday night in downtown Salt Lake City.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations called on police to release body camera footage in the name of transparency and accountability.
Police say Mohamed was shot twice in the torso when officers intervened as Mohamed and another person attacked someone with metal sticks.
A 17-year-old boy critically wounded by police in Salt Lake City is a refugee originally from Somalia who has been in the United States since 2004.
Aden Batar of Catholic Community Services in Salt Lake City says Abdi Mohamed’s family fled Somalia and lived for an unknown amount of time in Kenya before coming to the U.S.
Batar says he spoke with Mohamed’s family after the Saturday night shooting about what happened. Batar, the agency’s immigration and refugee resettlement director, said they hadn’t seen the family much after they helped them through the initial settlement process more than a decade ago.
Police say Mohamed was shot twice in the torso when officers intervened as Mohamed and another person attacked someone with metal sticks