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Memphis police chief Michael Rallings addresses reporters after a clash with police Wednesday night and an angry mob early Thursday, June 13, 2019 in Memphis, Tennessee. Armed officers and an angry mob clashed late Wednesday night after learning that at least one man had been shot dead by authorities in the northern Memphis neighborhood. (AP Photo / Adrian Sainz)
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Armed officers and an angry mob clashed after a Tennessee man was shot and killed by US marshals in a popular district of Memphis.
People in the crowd threw stones and bricks. 25 officers suffered minor injuries during the tense clash on Wednesday night in the Frayser community in north Memphis. Officers cordoned off several blocks near the stage. At 11 pm, police used tear gas and most of the crowd dispersed, police chief Michael Rallings said Thursday morning at a press conference. Three people were arrested.
Officers on horseback patrolled the area and lines of police cars with flashing blue lights were parked in the street. An ambulance could be seen at the edge of the stage. A helicopter flew over the police cars. Residential streets were blocked and a strong police presence remained in the area on Thursday.
Tennessee Investigative Bureau spokeswoman Keli McAlister said the Regional Task Force on Gulf Coast Fugitives has gone to a Frayser home to search for a suspect with death warrants. The marshals saw the man get into a vehicle and then go several times before the Task Force vehicles before going out with a weapon, said McAlister. The marshals then opened fire, killing the man who died on the scene. McAlister did not specify how many marshals had been fired or how many times the man had been shot.
A local official identified the victim as Brandon Webber and said he had been repeatedly shot in his family's garden. Family members confirmed to the Daily Memphian that Webber, 21, had died.
By identifying Webber on Twitter early Thursday, Shelby County Commissioner and mayor Tami Sawyer said, "Every lost life should count … every single person, how many times will it be acceptable? no longer continue. "
Memphis police officers were called in to help control the crowd as the shooting spread on social media. As more protesters appeared, more and more Memphis officers and Shelby County sheriff deputies arrived at the scene. The situation then degenerated and the police donned riot gear while people threw stones and bricks. Police cars and a nearby fire station were damaged, Rallings said.
The BIT is expected to investigate police killings involving police officers in Shelby and in other state counties. TBI investigators then submit their report to the District Attorney, who will decide whether to proceed with the charges against the agents involved.
The police chief implored residents to wait for the BIT to complete his investigation before spreading false information about the killing. "I need everyone to stay calm," Rallings said.
Although the police support the right of people to demonstrate, Mr. Rallings said: "We will not allow any act of violence."
Passion Anderson, a 34-year-old student, led her 13-year-old son to the scene early Thursday, after the protestors' departure and the calm of the scene. She grew up in Memphis, but moved to Ohio before settling in November in the Frayser neighborhood, an area north of downtown, where incomes are low to medium.
Anderson said she worried every day about the safety of her son in Memphis, who, like in other major cities, is dealing with violent crime.
"I just want him to see that, that he knows what's happening, that he's aware," she said from the driver's seat of her car, with her son instead of the passenger. "I'm scared for him all the time."
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