In Omaha, Nebraska, protests erupted throughout the city on Friday and Saturday after police fatally killed 35-year-old Kenneth Jones Thursday night during a traffic stop.
What We Know:
- On Thursday, police spotted a vehicle with four people inside and stopped in the middle of the road with no hazard lights.
- The officers involved were Dan Faulkner and Richard Martier. In statements given on Friday and Saturday from police officers, they instructed all of the people inside the vehicle to put their hands up. Three of the passengers complied with their command, but allegedly Jones did not. This leads the officers to break the window nearest to Jones to open the door.
- Although video footage from the police body cameras has not been released, police said the video shows there was a struggle to remove Jones from the car. Police claim Jones had a gun on him during the struggle, and officers shot at him four times. Police allegedly found a gun “directly underneath” Jones after he was shot.
- It is unclear which one of the officers fired the shot that killed Jones, but they said they would be providing more information in a news conference. After shots were fired, Jones was taken to the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
- ProBLAC, a progressive group that advocates for racial justice, took to Twitter on Friday to react to the shooting and provide information.
— ProBLAC (@WeAreProBLAC) November 20, 2020
- People began to gather on Friday and Saturday outside police headquarters to protest. Peyton Zyla, a ProBlac organizer, stated, “until (police) prove that they didn’t murder a Black man, we’re not shutting up — not one bit.”
- According to NBC News, police found the protest to be “unlawful assemblies,” and an arrest was made on Friday after a protester “assaulted” an officer. Police made similar arrests on Saturday for “assault.” Protesters also told the World-Herald they were taken to the hospital after being “maced” and struck by officers with either a “baton or projectile.”
- Police Chief Todd Schmaderer addressed the Jones friends and family, ensuring them an investigation is underway.
“We would like to express our condolences to the family and friends of Kenneth Jones and the rest of the community that are affected by this incident,” Schmaderer said. “We are committed to conducting a thorough investigation and providing the public with complete details.”
In a press conference on Friday, Mayor Jean Stohert stated a grand jury would be investigating the shooting, and both officers involved have been placed on administrative leave.
