Video shows police firing pepper balls at a crowd of protesters gathered at site of a livestreamed officer-involved fatal shooting after Indianapolis cops killed three people in 24 hours
Indianapolis police fired pepper balls on Saturday to disperse a crowd as they arrested a man during a protest near the location where an officer fatally shot a 21-year-old black man days earlier.
About 50 people converged near the site where Dreasjon 'Sean' Reed was fatally shot on Wednesday, The Indianapolis Star reported.
Video from the scene shows an angry crowd gathered at the site. While yelling at officers as they are making an arrest, one policeman can be seen firing a paintball-like rifle.
The officer was using a specialized air rifle that fires pepper balls, or non-lethal rounds that contain PAVA and CS irritant powder.
Several dozen protesters gathered at the intersection of 62nd Street and Michigan Road in Indianapolis on Saturday. A police officer fatally shot a 21-year-old African American man who livestreamed a high-speed chase just moments before
At the protest, one officer was seen firing a paintball-like rifle that contained pepper balls, or non-lethal rounds of pepper irritant used to disperse protests
As the officer aimed his pepper ball gun, other officers (right) were arresting a 41-year-old man for obstruction of traffic and disorderly conduct
A group of protesters is seen above getting on their knees and lifting their arms in the air on Saturday
Pepper balls are used by law enforcement and military for crowd dispersal and riot control.
'Look y'all,' Jalen Sanders, an Indianapolis resident who was at the protest, said in a livestream video on Facebook.
'They out here shooting us.'
Reed's killing on Wednesday during a foot chase with an officer, and the fatal police shooting hours later of another black man, have strained relations between the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and black residents, spurring a series of demonstrations.
As police were arresting a man during Saturday's protest, officers fired pepper balls 'to deter a crowd as they closed in on officers creating an unsafe environment for officers and protesters,' police spokesman Michael Hewitt said in a statement.
Video from the scene shows several protesters angrily shout at officers as tempers flared090
Hewitt said officers arrested a 41-year-old man on suspicion of obstruction of traffic and disorderly conduct.
'No officers or protesters were injured during this arrest. IMPD supports our citizens rights to peaceful and lawful protest,' Hewitt added.
Reed's shooting death was followed by protests both Wednesday and Thursday.
It came within hours of Indianapolis police fatally shooting 19-year-old McHale Rose, and an officer fatally striking a pregnant woman with his car.
The woman, 23-year-old Ashlynn Lisby, was white.
It's unclear what discipline, if any, that officer might face.
Police said preliminary findings don't indicate driver impairment was a factor in the incident.
Dreasjon 'Sean' Reed, 21, was shot dead while running from police as he streamed a video of the chase on Facebook Live on Wednesday afternoon
Jamie Reed, Sean's father (pictured left and right), insisted that his son did not shoot at police. He said he was 'crushed' after seeing the Facebook Live video
The man in the video was identified by family members as 21-year-old Sean Reed (pictured)
McHale Rose, 19, was shot and killed in the early morning hours on Thursday after police alleged he shot at officers while in the middle of a burglary
Pictured: Ashlynn Lisby, 23, a single mother of three with a fourth baby on the way, was struck and killed by an Indianapolis police officer just hours after Reed's death
Police have said both Reed and Rose exchanged gunfire with officers before they were fatally shot.
Local activist groups have demanded transparency and accountability as the shootings are investigated.
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said Friday that he asked the US attorney's office and the FBI to 'actively monitor' the investigations into the shootings.
Also, Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said he was asking a court to appoint an independent prosecutor to handle the investigation into Reed's shooting because Indianapolis police Chief Randal Taylor is a witness in the case.
Video shows police firing pepper balls at a crowd of protesters gathered at site of a livestreamed officer-involved fatal shooting after Indianapolis cops killed three people in 24 hours
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May 09, 2020
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