Police were reprotedly more concered about ‘prioritising getting his car out of there before his body.’
Yet another Black man has been fatally shot by police this week, and this time the tragedy occurred near Vancouver, Washington, about 12 miles north of Portland.
Kevin Peterson Jr. was shot dead by Clark County sheriff’s deputies on Thursday evening (Oct. 29) in the parking lot at a US Bank branch in Hazel Dell. Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters wasted no time converging on the area, chanting the victim’s name and demanding answers.
“They left his body out there for almost exactly 12 hours,” one protestor, who asked not to be identified, told Newsweek. “His mom just broke down. I’ve never heard a sound like that.”
Several witnesses have shared videos on social media showing the response from BLM activists on the scene. Check out a few of the clips below.
Read More: Philadelphia police to release body cam footage of Wallace shooting amid unrest
Peterson’s parents were not allowed to see/identify his body until almost 12 hours after the shooting. According to witnesses, police were more pressed about “prioritising getting his car out of there before his body.”
Clark County Sheriff Chuck Atkins said at a press conference on Friday that the shooting occurred as narcotics detectives were conducting an investigation in the area, per columbian.com.
“A foot pursuit ensued where deputies from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office were chasing a man with a firearm,” Atkins said. “The information I have is that upon entering the parking lot of a bank, the man reportedly fired his weapon at the deputies. The deputies returned fire and the subject was tragically killed. It is my understanding that the man’s firearm was observed at the scene.”
Three deputies reprotedly fired their weapons and all have have been placed on administrative leave, according to the report.
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Peterson’s girlfriend and the mother of his child, Olivia Selto, told The Columbian that she was on the phone with him prior to the shooting, and remained on the line for nine minutes “until the police finally came over and hung up the phone.”
Selto added, “I heard his last words and everything. I’m devastated, and we will get justice for his wrongful death.”
“Kevin did everything for me.. doesn’t matter what it was or what time he always came when i asked. I regret every argument please come back,” she wrote in a Twitter post.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money to cover funeral costs for the victim.
“Kevin (KP) Peterson Jr. is an unarmed black man who was murdered by police in Vancouver, WA tonight,” the page reads.
“He has a daughter. He was only 21. He was a beautiful young man and the police have murdered him. Remember these things when the police tried to soil his name and reputation.”
Peterson Jr.’s death comes three days after the killing of Walter Wallace Jr. by Philadelphia police officers.
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The post Washington cops fatally shoot Black man, leave body in street for 12 hours appeared first on TheGrio.
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