Crime & Safety
St. Louis Protests: Feds To Probe Possible Civil Rights Abuses
More than 300 people have been arrested at protests since Sept. 15, when Jason Stockley was cleared in the death of a black suspect.
ST. LOUIS, MO — Federal investigators will look into possible civil rights violations by police near St. Louis in the two months since protests erupted after a white former police officer was cleared of killing a black suspect. The U.S. Justice Department announced the investigation in a statement on Monday. The FBI and the U.S. attorney's office in St. Louis will assist with the investigation.
Protest leaders, Democratic U.S. Rep. Lacy Clay and others called for a federal investigation. More than 300 people have been arrested at protests since Sept. 15, when a judge ruled that Jason Stockley was not guilty of first-degree murder in the 2011 death of 24-year-old Anthony Lamar Smith.
Several of those arrested have alleged heavy-handed arrests and even taunting by police.
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Photo credit: Jeff Roberson/Associated Press