ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) — The NAACP’s president is returning to Rockford to call for a credible investigation and grief counseling after police fatally shot an unarmed man inside a church-run day care center.
The Aug. 24 death of Mark Anthony Barmore has created racial tension in this northern Illinois community of nearly 160,000 people.
Police say Barmore, who was black, struggled with two white police officers over a gun, leading the officers to use deadly force. But witnesses say Barmore surrendered.
The NAACP has called for federal standards for police use of deadly force. The civil rights organization is also calling for a grief counseling for the children who reportedly witnessed the shooting.
NAACP president and CEO Ben Jealous is expected to attend a Saturday march in Rockford.
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