Olympia, WA
Yes, the young men are black.
The two young men (brothers) allegedly shoplifted some beer from a major grocery store. According to the boys' mother, "They don't carry guns, they carry skateboards." She is sure this is a case of mistaken identity. One young man is in critical condition, the other is stable. Thankfully, neither is dead. Their mother says she has discussed Ferguson with her sons and taught them to be respectful to the police.
From the news story:
Two men suspected of attempting to steal beer from the west Olympia Safeway were shot by an Olympia police officer early Thursday morning.
Employees at the Safeway at 3215 Harrison Avenue W. reported about 1 a.m. that two black men had attempted to steal beer and when confronted by employees, threw the items at them and fled, according to a news release.
An officer found two men matching the description a short distance away and a few minutes later notified dispatch that he had been involved in a shooting.
Preliminary reports were that both men had been shot in the chest. One suspect is in stable condition at Tacoma General Hospital. One is in critical condition at Providence St. Peter Hospital, according to Olympia Police Chief Ronnie Roberts.
Read more here
An investigation is under way.
11:01 AM PT: No update on the investigation, but commenters on the news website are already branding the young men as thugs (while asking everyone to calm down and wait for more news) and worrying that this will bring a media circus to our quiet little corner of the world. As if that's the worse thing about this incident.
11:56 AM PT: Update from the newspaper. More details on the young men and the confrontation. Still no evidence of the men carrying weapons:
"Store employees described the suspects to police as two black men with skateboards, and described the suspects’ clothing, height, weight and tattoos. An officer found two men matching the description and made contact about 15 minutes later.
Roberts said that when the officer exited the car, he was allegedly attacked by one of the men. The officer shot him. The two suspects ran into a nearby wooded area, and the officer reported that shots had been fired.
The men walked back to the road a short time later, and engaged in another confrontation with the officer, Roberts said. The second suspect was shot multiple times in the torso."
12:20 PM PT: The headline of the news story has changed to: "Suspected shoplifters shot by Olympia police had skateboards, not guns." The report now states that one of the young men attacked the officer with a skateboard, not a gun.