Police shooting sparks protest

Associated Press

TULSA, Okla.

Three Oklahoma law-enforcement officers fatally shot a black man while trying to pick him up for a mental-health issue Friday, triggering a protest on a city street that prompted dozens of officers in riot gear showing force.

Tulsa County sheriff’s deputies were attempting to pick up the 29-year-old man near his house, but the man walked away and to a nearby convenience store instead, Tulsa police spokesman Leland Ashley said.

Two deputies and a Tulsa police officer opened fire before the man could enter the store when they discovered that he was carrying two knives and became concerned about the safety of the people who were inside the business, Ashley said.

The deputies who fired are white, and the police officer is black. All three have been put on routine administrative leave. Police didn’t release the name of the man who was shot, and it’s not clear how many times he was struck.

Ashley said authorities are reviewing footage believed to have been recorded by police dashboard and store surveillance cameras. He said an officer’s body camera also might have captured what happened.

Dozens of black residents gathered at an intersection near the store within minutes of the shooting on Tulsa’s north side. Some shouted, “Hands up, don’t shoot!”

At least two dozen officers and deputies wearing riot gear assembled in the store’s parking lot. The crowd of residents eventually dispersed.

Some residents questioned why officers didn’t use less lethal means to restrain the man, given his fragile mental state.