A judge has acquitted a white St. Louis police officer who shot and killed a black motorist. Jason Stockley shot Anthony Lamar Smith five times following a chase, saying that he felt his life was in danger. But dashboard video shown in the trial shows Stockley saying that he was “going to kill this [expletive deleted], don’t you know it,” and the gun inside Smith’s car had only Stockley’s DNA on it. Despite the evidence, Stockley will soon be a free man. Smith is still gone:
The city prepared for the worst in the three weeks since the trial ended. The judge in July granted the defense’s motion for a waiver of jury trial. Governor Eric Greitens activated the state’s National Guard on Thursday, and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department announced that its officers would be working 12-hour shifts in case of unrest in the aftermath. Some schools in Ferguson-Florissant County were closed on Friday.
Smith’s family is set to hold a press conference later Friday morning.
Protesters have gathered in the city since the verdict and vowed that “there will be unrest” if the verdict is not guilty.
“We might not get what we want,” said Christina Wilson, fiancée of Anthony Lamar Smith, at a press conference with the governor on Thursday. “But however it goes, I ask for peace on behalf of my daughter, on Anthony’s loved ones, and if you feel like you want to speak out, speak how you feel. Just do it in a peaceful way.”
“Few police officers ever face trial in shooting deaths, and even fewer are convicted,” notes CNN. “The past year has seen officers acquitted or mistrials declared after jurors deadlocked in several high-profile trials, including at least four since May.”