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- There was unrest in Vancouver, Washington on Friday following the vigil of a Black man who was shot dead by police officers.
- Hundreds gathered to pay tribute to Kevin E. Peterson Jr, 21, of Camas, Washington who had been shot dead by police officers from Clark County Sheriff’s Office the night before, AP reported.
- While the crowds dispersed near the vigil, hundreds of protesters later marched through downtown Vancouver shattering windows and burning flags, and two shots were heard, nobody was hurt, AP added.
- Clark County is only a short drive from Portland where Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests have been held almost every night since George Floyd was brutally killed by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota in May, according to CBS News.
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There was unrest in Vancouver, Washington on Friday following the vigil of a Black man shot dead by police officers.
Hundreds gathered to pay tribute to Kevin E. Peterson Jr., 21, of Camas, Washington, who had been shot dead by police officers from Clark County Sheriff’s Office the night before, the LA Times reported.
The officers had been conducting a narcotics investigation in Hazel Dell, an unincorporated area of the city around 12 miles north of Portland alongside a regional drug task force, according to Clark County Sheriff Chuck Atkins.
In a statement at a meeting at the Clark County Public Service Center, he said: “A foot pursuit ensued where deputies from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office were chasing a man with a firearm.
“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."
He added that the Southwest Washington Independent Investigative Response Team (SWIIRT) and the Camas Police Department are now leading the investigation into the incident.
AP reported that some of the mourners who gathered for the vigil held signs reading, "Honk for Black lives. White silence is violence" and "Scream his name" while tensions between left- and right-wing protesters flared nearby.
While the crowds dispersed near the vigil, hundreds of protesters later marched through downtown Vancouver shattering windows and burning flags. Two shots were heard but nobody was hurt, AP said.
Authorities dressed in riot gear warned people that trespassing on federal property would be subject to arrest and declared an unlawful assembly, ordering protesters to disperse, AP added.
Clark County is only a short drive from Portland, where Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests have been held almost every night since George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in May, according to CBS News.
Southwest Washington is also home to Patriot Prayer, the right-wing group that has hosted rallies in support of President Donald Trump in Portland, resulting in violence.