Angry Mob in Salt Lake
City gets Violent on Police, Posted on Tuesday the
1st of March 2016, by Kerry Lear : Guest Writer
A
riot was ignited Saturday night in a Salt Lake City neighborhood, following an
incident where Abdi Mohamed, a black teenager, was shot. A police officer came
upon the teen while he was attacking a man with a broomstick. That is when he
shot Mohamed four times to stop the assault. The suspect survived the shooting,
but an angry mob still formed.
Almost
100 police officers gathered from the city, including officers from three other
departments, to help contain the riot. The officers were pelted with rocks as
the protestors screamed obscenities.
The
assault suspect was shot four times at around 8:15 pm Saturday in the downtown
area. Selam Mohammad, friend of the teenager and a witness at the scene,
claimed that the officers opened fire with no warning.
According
to the witness, Mohamed and the man were in a confrontation when the officers
approach. The teenager was holding part of a broomstick. “They told him to put
it down, once,” said Mohammad and “started shooting him as soon as he turned
around.”
In
a statement release Sunday, the two Salt Lake City Police that reported that
“they witnessed two males with metal objects attacking a male victim.” The pair
was then asked to drop their weapons. "One of the males complied and
dropped the weapon, the other continued to advance on the victim and was shot
by officers."
The
officers were wearing active body cameras and the footage has been turned over
to investigators. They were both placed on routine administrative leave as the
incident receives further investigation.
The
Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski has asked the investigators to release
“as much information to the public as possible" regarding the shooting.
She also stated: "there is no doubt what happened is a tragedy for all
involved and for our entire city."
She
has instructed Police Chief Mike Brown to reach out personally to the young
man’s family.
Biskupski
seemed more concerned with the officers’ behavior than the angry mob. The local
community had a right to protest, but the manner in which they behaved is
unacceptable.
This
may not be the last of the protests about this weekend’s incident either, the
activist group, Utah Against Police Brutality is planning to hold an emergency
rally tonight to address the event.
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