Editor’s note: The following photos and video contain graphic images and language.
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Aug. 10, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — A small, yet passionate, group of protesters took to the steps of the Salt Lake City and County building Tuesday night to express anger over Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill’s ruling that events surrounding the police shooting of an unarmed black teenager Feb. 27 constituted a justified use of lethal force.
Abdi Mohamed was shot four times while police were attempting to break up a fight he was involved in outside a homeless shelter in Salt Lake City’s Rio Grande district.
The officers involved in the incident will not be charged, Gill said.
Gill said officers acted appropriately when they fired at Mohamed because police believed he was about to kill another man with a metal stick — which one officer admitted mistaking for a sword — and because the teen did not comply with officers’ orders to drop the weapon.
Gill said Mohamed had been trying to buy drugs from his victim at the time of the incident.
To see video from Tuesday night’s demonstration, please click on the video above.
To see still images from the emotional event, click on the photo gallery below.
