Human RightsNorth America

Chicago protest blasts police killing of black teenager

2c27aa46-1a6b-43ff-9742-66297763b08f

 

Protesters in the US city of Chicago stage a march to demand justice over the police killing of a 16-year-old African American boy under conflicting circumstances.

The protesters held a vigil on Wednesday at the scene of the incident, where Pierre Loury was fatally shot a day earlier.

They then marched to the police station where the suspected officer was posted.

The outrage stems from an incident Monday night where police stopped the car Loury was traveling in.

Authorities claim the teenager pointed a weapon at the unnamed officer when he was shot, but witnesses say they saw officers high five each other after Loury was gunned down.

The US has been plagued by a wave of police shootings, mainly targeting the African American community in the country. Numerous protests have condemned the police for what they call brutality.

Several high-profile police killings of African Americans have sparked nationwide protests in the United States over the past two years.

According to a study released in January, a total of 1134 people were killed by American cops, marking a sharp increase compared to the 444 cases that the FBI had logged in 2014.

Young black men aged between 15 and 34 comprised more than 15 percent of the figure, which is five times higher than white men of the same age.

African Americans account for two percent of America’s total population. This is while, according to the Mapping Police Violence project, 40 percent of the police killings in the country’s 60 biggest police departments were black.

Back to top button