Seven US protesters have been arrested at a demonstration over Connecticut authorities’ handling of the case of a teenager killed by police.
The protesters were arrested on Monday after sitting on the street outside the state Capitol in Hartford, asking for more information on why Jayson Negron was killed by Bridgeport Police Officer James Boulay on May 9.
Demonstrators also called for criminal charges against Boulay, who fatally shot the 15-year-old teenager. They also urged authorities to release surveillance and other videos showing the shooting incident.
Activists chanted “no justice, no peace” and other slogans outside the state Supreme Court in Hartford before blocking a street between the court and the state Capitol. Some carried signs that read, “Charge Boulay with murder.”
The protest also included 20 minutes of silence to mark what demonstrators said was the time it took for police to call for emergency medical help as Negron lay in the street.
“Officer Boulay acted as judge, jury and executioner for what should have been a routine traffic stop,” Kerry Ellington, an organizer with New Haven-based People Against Police Brutality told CBS News affiliate WFSB.
Negron’s sister, Jazmarie Melendez, accused authorities of covering up what really happened to him.
“We know that they’re doing everything in their power to make Jayson look like he was in the wrong when we know that he wasn’t,” she said. “We’re tired of the lies.”
State police claim Jayson was driving a stolen car that Bridgeport officers attempted to stop. Once the car stopped, officers approached and tried to take Jayson into custody. As that happened, city police said, Jayson put the car in reverse and sped back, hitting one of the officers.
Boulay reportedly shot his gun and hit both Negron and a passenger, Julian Fyffe, 21, state police said. Jayson was pronounced dead at the scene. Fyffe was hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the shoulder.
US police kill and injure an alarming number of people of color, particularly black people each year. According to US media, African Americans are two-and-a-half times more likely than white Americans to be shot and killed by police officers.
