Demonstrators shut down highway in protest of fatal police shooting of unarmed teen Antwon Rose
TheGrio has launched a special series called #BlackonBlue to examine the relationship between law enforcement and African-Americans. Our reporters and videographers will investigate police brutality and corruption while also exploring local and national efforts to improve policing in our communities. Join the conversation, or share your own story, using the hashtag #BlackonBlue.Protesters demanding answers in Tuesday night’s fatal shooting by an East Pittsburgh police officer of unarmed teen Antwon Rose say they are going nowhere.
For the second night in a row, hundreds of demonstrators gathered to protest the death of 17-year-old Antwon Rose, who was shot three times while running away from a vehicle during a traffic stop.
The demonstrators marched onto Interstate 376 and shut it down in both directors for five hours, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. The gathering prompted police in riot gear to make repeated threats to make arrests if people did not disperse. The group broke up at around 2:30 a.m., clearing the roadway peacefully, according to the news organization.
Only one arrest was made.
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Traffic was backed up for miles during the demonstration, the Post-Gazette reported. Motorists expressed frustration, with some making a point of driving the wrong way down one road. One pickup truck tried moving forward in westbound lanes but was surrounded by protesters, who jumped in front of the vehicle.
Nicki Jo Dawson, a leader of the gathering, told the Post-Gazette that she felt the group gave others an example of how to protest.
“It was time,” Dawson said. “It was necessary. And it’s not going to stop anytime soon.”
Officials in Allegheny County, Penn., have identified the East Pittsburgh police officer who shot and killed Antwon Rose as Michael H. Rosfeld, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is reporting.
Rosfeld was hired by the East Pittsburgh Police Department in mid-May and formally sworn in at a municipal meeting hours before the shooting, Mayor Louis Payne said.
