Will St. Louis Burn?

[seer]

Ex-Cop Jason Stockley Found Not Guilty Of Murdering Black Man In 2011

Earlier today, ex-police officer Jason Stockley was found not guilty of the first-degree murder of 24 year old Anthony Lamar Smith, a black man shot and killed following a high-speed chase back in 2011. Stockley, who formerly worked for the St. Louis police department, was on trial after shooting Lamar Smith five times, killing him in the process. While he claimed that he saw Smith pull out a gun, prosecutors stated that Stockley actually planted the gun after the fact.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Stockley originally requested to be tried by a judge, rather than a jury of his peers. During the trial, Assistant Circuit Attorney Robert Steele cited police dashcam footage which showed Stockley saying ""going to kill this ____, don't you know it." Apparently, the murder occurred less than a minute later. Stockley's lawyer defended his client's statement, chalking it up to typical "human emotion" during a high pressure situation.

[Sparko]

link?

[seer]

link?

Here is one, not the original: https://ca.news.yahoo.com/missouri-b...100419885.html

[Mountain Man]

I would be interested to see a story detailing the judge's decision. The Yahoo story makes it sound like the ruling contradicted the evidence, but I don't buy that.

[seer]

I would be interested to see a story detailing the judge's decision. The Yahoo story makes it sound like the ruling contradicted the evidence, but I don't buy that.

I think the prosecutor over reached with the first degree murder charge.

[rogue06]

I would be interested to see a story detailing the judge's decision. The Yahoo story makes it sound like the ruling contradicted the evidence, but I don't buy that.

The judge filed a 30 page explanation this morning but I haven't seen any links to it yet.

FWIU, the state argued that Stockley shot Smith four times in the shoulder then stepped in closer and administered what they called a "kill shot" in his lower left abdomen. Funny place to administer a coup de grâce. In fact, one of the things that might have led to the not guilty verdict is that the prosecutor never attempted to explain how Smith could have been shot in the left lower abdomen by a person standing outside the car if Smith, as they assert, was simply sitting in the driver's seat. The person who conducted the autopsy said that this could indicate that Smith was reaching for something to his right at the time he was shot there. It could also be due to someone trying to lay low after being shot a couple times

Another thing is that the handgun found by Smith was not seen by the officer who first examined the body and the only DNA on the weapon belonged to Stockley. The defense maintains that his DNA got on the firearm because Stockley for some reason removed his gloves. The state argued that he did so on purpose so as to explain how his DNA was present on the gun which they contend was planted on Smith by Stockley. Still it seems strange that no DNA from Smith was on the handgun that he was presumably carrying.

[Leonhard]

This looks fishy.

[Sparko]

‘When We Started Pushing Police Back They Maced Us Without Warning’ w/Video

Protesters Complain Of Treatment By Police After They Assault Officers

St. Louis, MO – St. Louis activists who were protesting the acquittal of Jason Stockley are crying about being abused by the police after they blocked a police transport van and then started shoving police officers, and that’s their side of the story (videos below.)

The Associated Press reports that around 2:40 PM on Friday, a group of the protesters stood in front of a police transport bus full of officers in riot gear, blocking it from moving.

The bus tried to back up, but then a group stood behind the bus, blocking them in. The group then started throwing objects at the bus.

Officers moved in to push them back, and one woman told the Associated Press that they began to push the officers back. That’s when another woman says that they were “maced by the police without any forewarning.”


https://bluelivesmatter.blue/st-loui...-pepper-spray/

[rogue06]

‘When We Started Pushing Police Back They Maced Us Without Warning’ w/Video

Protesters Complain Of Treatment By Police After They Assault Officers

St. Louis, MO – St. Louis activists who were protesting the acquittal of Jason Stockley are crying about being abused by the police after they blocked a police transport van and then started shoving police officers, and that’s their side of the story (videos below.)

The Associated Press reports that around 2:40 PM on Friday, a group of the protesters stood in front of a police transport bus full of officers in riot gear, blocking it from moving.

The bus tried to back up, but then a group stood behind the bus, blocking them in. The group then started throwing objects at the bus.

Officers moved in to push them back, and one woman told the Associated Press that they began to push the officers back. That’s when another woman says that they were “maced by the police without any forewarning.”


https://bluelivesmatter.blue/st-loui...-pepper-spray/

Reminiscent of how some folks are bewildered that they were arrested saying they didn't do anything after they got in an altercation with a police officer.

[Leonhard]

‘When We Started Pushing Police Back They Maced Us Without Warning’ w/Video

Protesters Complain Of Treatment By Police After They Assault Officers

St. Louis, MO – St. Louis activists who were protesting the acquittal of Jason Stockley are crying about being abused by the police after they blocked a police transport van and then started shoving police officers, and that’s their side of the story (videos below.)

The Associated Press reports that around 2:40 PM on Friday, a group of the protesters stood in front of a police transport bus full of officers in riot gear, blocking it from moving.

The bus tried to back up, but then a group stood behind the bus, blocking them in. The group then started throwing objects at the bus.

Officers moved in to push them back, and one woman told the Associated Press that they began to push the officers back. That’s when another woman says that they were “maced by the police without any forewarning.”


https://bluelivesmatter.blue/st-loui...-pepper-spray/

I'd say their protest in general was a good one. Something looks a bit fishy about the acquittal of Jason Stockey.

[Darth Executor]

I'd say their protest in general was a good one. Something looks a bit fishy about the acquittal of Jason Stockey.

What looks fishy? The standard is "beyond any reasonable doubt" and the judge had plenty of reasonable doubt. To say nothing of the fact that he was overcharged. Premeditated murder because the cop said "I'm gonna kill this guy" after a high speed chase? Get outa here.

[Sparko]

I'd say their protest in general was a good one. Something looks a bit fishy about the acquittal of Jason Stockey.

Protesting is fine. violence is not.



BLM Protesters Attack St. Louis Mayor’s House, Hurl Bricks At Police

Black Lives Matter protesters converged upon St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson’s house, hurling rocks and breaking windows on Friday night.

Law enforcement officers dispersed the crowd with pepper spray and tear gas after declaring the gathering an “unlawful assembly,” and made at least one arrest. Police in riot gear then deployed tear gas to force protesters away from the scene of the vandalism.

However, the violence continued. Three police officer were struck with bricks and seriously injured.

http://dailycaller.com/2017/09/16/bl...cks-at-police/

[Mountain Man]

I'd say their protest in general was a good one. Something looks a bit fishy about the acquittal of Jason Stockey.

Protesting about every little thing that gets someone's nose out of joint has become so commonplace these days that I don't think it has the impact it used to, and too often these protests just turn into straight-up riots. Surely there are more productive ways to get one's point across, or at least a way that doesn't make one look like a spoiled brat or a thug.

And I don't know if this ruling is fishy or not since I don't have enough details. Unless you can prove the judge was in on it then I have to assume the evidence didn't prove the prosecution's case beyond a reasonable doubt.

[Sparko]

Here is the original news story about the shooting if anyone is interested:

===================
ST. LOUIS • Police shot and killed a drug suspect at West Florissant and Acme avenues early Tuesday afternoon after a mile-long chase through the area, according to authorities.

Authorities identified the dead man as Anthony Lamar Smith, 24, of the 4800 block of Page Boulevard in St. Louis.

Two officers saw what they believed to be a drug transaction near a fast-food restaurant at Thekla Avenue and Riverview Boulevard after noon, according to Capt. Michael Sack. When police approached a car involved in the suspected drug transaction, they saw Smith reaching for something under the seat or between the seat and the center console.

Officers ordered Smith to stop and show his hands, but he put the car in gear and drove toward an officer, Sack said. The second officer, fearing for the first officer's safety, fired at Smith, Sack said.

It was unclear if Smith was hit by a bullet at that point. The car kept going and police pursued it to West Florissant and Acme, just west of Goodfellow Boulevard, where Smith lost control of his vehicle on the wet road, Sack said. The police SUV hit the vehicle.

When officers got out of their SUV, they again saw Smith reaching for something under the seat, Sack said. They repeatedly asked Smith to show his hands and, fearing he was trying to retrieve a weapon, fired when he did not comply, Sack said.

Smith was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

"They wouldn't let me kiss him or hug him goodbye," said Smith's mother, Annie Smith.

The officers were not injured. The officer that fired at the suspect is 31 and has as been an officer for four years, the department said. He was put on paid leave, as is standard in such shootings.

Sack said officers found drugs and a gun in the suspect's vehicle, a silver sedan.

Court and Missouri Department of Corrections records show Smith faced theft, weapons and drug charges in the past and served prison time on at least some of those charges.

Kirkwin Taylor said he and his 5-year-old son went to the fast-food restaurant with Smith. Taylor said he was inside getting food when the incident with police started. He said there was no drug transaction and he doesn't believe his friend had a gun in his car.

"I wouldn't have had my son in there if there was a gun in there," he said.

Christina Wilson, 31, the pregnant girlfriend of Smith and mother of Smith's 1-year-old daughter, said she was on the phone with him when he was shot.

"He was crying for help," she said outside of the hospital. "I could hear him moaning, 'Oh, oh.'"

Christine Byers and David Carson of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...9bb30f31a.html

[Mountain Man]

Assuming the police testimony is accurate, it sounds like they had good reason to fear for their lives.