Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Olympia, Wash., peacefully protesting against a police shooting that injured two unarmed men, both stepbrothers, accused of stealing beer from a grocery store, according to Reuters.
The two stepbrothers - Bryson Chaplin, 21 who is critically injured, and Andre Thompson, 24, who is in stable condition - are expected to survive. The suspects were not carrying any weapons, but police officer Ryan Donald informed the dispatchers over the phone that he was attacked with a skateboard, Olympia Police Chief Ronnie Roberts told USA Today.
The incident took place at approximately 1 a.m. local time on Thursday when employees of a grocery store called the police to report an assault. The employees said two young black men with skateboards were trying to steal beer from the store and when confronted, they allegedly threw the beer at the store employees. After looking into the matter, the officer spotted two men in the neighborhood with skateboards matching the description of the suspects. A confrontation took place and the officer opened fire, shooting one of the men, said Olympia Police Chief Ronnie Roberts.
According to an initial investigation, the officer was assaulted by the men near the back of his car, possibly using a skateboard, according to Q13. Roberts also mentioned that the two men then escaped into a wooded area, and when they later re-appeared, the officer fired his gun again, hitting the other suspect multiple times. Donald wasn't injured, but an officer "has the right to defend himself" if a suspect carries an object that could be used as a deadly weapon, the police chief said. This incident takes place after a number of fatal police encounters across the country have put law enforcement agencies under scrutiny over unnecessary use of force, particularly against minorities.
