After killer cop walks free, uprising rocks St. Louis
By Lyn Neeley and Minnie Bruce Pratt
Furious and frustrated, people in St. Louis have been taking to the streets since a Sept. 15 not-guilty verdict acquitting a white ex-cop for the 2011 killing of a young Black man, Anthony Lamar Smith. By Tuesday morning, Sept. 19, more than 120 people had been arrested during four days of demonstrations. Organizers foresaw more protests.
Cop Jason Stockley had been charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action for shooting 24-year-old Smith five times under highly suspect circumstances. The charge carried a sentence of life in prison without parole. Probably doubtful that St. Louis residents would find in his favor, Stockley had waived his right to a jury trial, leaving the ruling up to Circuit Judge Timothy Wilson.





