Shooting of Antwon Rose Jr.

Shooting of Antwon Rose Jr.
Date June 19, 2018 (2018-06-19Tmf)
Time 8:40 p.m. (EDT)
Location East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Cause Gunshot wounds
Filmed by Bystander mobile phone
Outcome Officer Charged With Criminal Homicide
Deaths Antwon Rose II
Inquiries Police investigation ongoing
Charges Criminal homicide

Antwon Rose II was an African-American 17-year old shot on June 19, 2018, by police in East Pittsburgh following a traffic stop. Police stopped the vehicle because they believed it had been recently involved in a drive-by shooting which was evident due to various bullet holes around the car including a shattered back window with a bullet hole in it as well. Rose was shot in the back as he fled. Rose was turned over and an empty pistol magazine was recovered in his front pants pocket while its matching 9 millimeter pistol along with another firearm were found inside the car Rose just fled from. Thirteen minutes earlier Rose and two others in that car attempted to murder two men at a red light striking one in the stomach while another returned fire striking the car Rose rode passenger in multiple times including in the back window.[1] Rose was unarmed when shot, and later died at a hospital.[1][2][3] The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published video footage which showed that Rose was a passenger in the car during the drive-by shooting, but that Rose was not the shooter. The drive-by shooting occurred 13 minutes before Rose's death and left one person wounded.[4]

Protests against Rose's killing occurred in boroughs near East Pittsburgh and in Pittsburgh after his death. The officer who shot him was later charged with criminal homicide. Two guns were found in the vehicle and an empty magazine was found on Rose, but investigators believe he had not fired a weapon in the earlier drive-by shooting. One of the occupants of vehicle was charged with multiple offenses relating to the drive-by shooting including criminal homicide.[5]

Background

Antwon Rose II[6] was 17 years old when he died. He had worked as a community volunteer and was an honor roll student at Woodland Hills High School, where he took Advanced Placement classes.[2] His mother had been a clerk for another police department.[7]

The police officer who shot Rose, Michael Rosfeld,[8] had been sworn in only a few hours earlier. Rosfeld had worked in East Pittsburgh for three weeks prior to that; additionally, he had seven years experience with other police departments, including those in the Pennsylvania towns of Oakmont and Harmar, and the University of Pittsburgh.[7][9][10] Rosfeld is now facing other charges, based on a false police report from 2017 when he was an officer for the University of Pittsburgh.[11][12]

Shooting

On Tuesday, June 19, 2018 there was a drive-by shooting in North Braddock around 8:20 p.m.[6] Police later said that witnesses described a car similar to the silver Chevrolet Cruze that Rose and two others were seen in nearby.[7] Police stopped the car, which investigators said had clearly been hit by bullets, at 8:40 p.m.[8] A video recording taken by a bystander shows police ordering the driver to step out from the car.[13] While the driver was being handcuffed, Rose and the third occupant began to run.[7][10] Rosfeld fired at them; Rose was struck three times and died at the hospital.[7][2][10]

In the video a woman's voice is heard saying, "Why they shooting at him? All they did was run and they shooting at them."[14] The third passenger escaped,[6] but was later arrested.[15]

Police said that Rose had been unarmed when he was shot.[16] They also said that the car's driver was released from custody later that evening, as they did not feel they had cause to charge him.[10] Police stated that the car may have been used as a "jitney," or low-cost private vehicle to pick up passengers. Police initially stated that they did not know if Rose had been in the car when the drive-by shooting occurred 20 minutes prior.[7][2]

Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala stated that Rose had an empty 9-millimeter handgun magazine in his pocket, and officials stated there were two guns in the car,[17] one being a 9-mm-caliber handgun and the other a .40-caliber handgun.[5]

Indictments

Rosfeld was placed on leave and the Allegheny County Police Department began an investigation.[7] The Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office later classified Rose's death as a homicide and said that Rose died of a gunshot wound to the torso.[18]

On June 26, Rosfeld, 30, was arrested and charged with criminal homicide, after detectives stated that there were inconsistencies in the officer's testimony.[5] Rosfeld was released on bail by the district judges overseeing the case and according to authorities appeared remorseful during interviews.[5]

The third passenger of the vehicle, who fled from police, was arrested on June 26 and detained at the Shuman Juvenile Detention Center.[5] Police stated that the occupant had been on juvenile probation and had cut his ankle bracelet.[15] According to police it was the occupant who had fired the .40-caliber Glock found by police in the drive-by shooting they investigated prior to Rose’s death.[5] The occupant was charged with aggravated assault and criminal homicide among other charges.[5]

Investigators stated that Antwon Rose had not fired a weapon in the drive-by shooting.[5]

Reactions

The Washington Post reported that Rose was the first person killed by the East Pittsburgh Police Department since at least 2015. Also reported was that in the United States in the same period, 23 percent of those killed by police officers and 36 percent of all unarmed persons killed, had been black.[7] On June 25, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto told reporters "there should be a trial” before a jury regarding the death of the young man and the fate of the police officer.[19] On July 30, 2018 it was calculated that the Pittsburgh Police force paid out over $1 million in overtime for forces who monitored protests.[20]

Protests

June

Protests attended by hundreds of people were held on June 20 and 21 in front of the Allegheny County Courthouse in downtown Pittsburgh.[2][6] On the night of June 22, protestors marching on the Parkway East freeway slowed traffic for miles;[9] subsequent protests took place near PNC Park on Pittsburgh's North Shore [21] and in Pittsburgh's South Side neighborhood.[22][23] A visiting for Rose was held on June 24,[24] and his funeral held at the Woodland Hills Middle School on June 25.[25]

July

The preliminary hearing for the officer was relocated to the Allegheny County Courthouse due to security concerns given the continued protests in the city.[26] On July 8, while protesting on Route 30 in North Versailles, four protestors were hit by a car that drove through the march.[27] One person was arrested[28] and one person was taken to the hospital.[29] The protests continue and the goal of the protestors is to bring visibility and awareness to the shooting.[28] On July 26, 2018, Pittsburgh city officials issued new protest policy due to continued disruption of the city's roadways and bridges.[30] This policy does not prohibit protests, but does prohibit unpermitted protestors from blocking traffic or shutting down specific "red zone" areas, and during limited high-traffic times in "yellow zone" areas.[30] On July 27 protestors at Grant Street and Forbes Avenue confronted the Public Safety Director and Police Chief. One of the protestors, Nicky Jo Dawson, complained that the new policy, "put further restrictions on people who are peacefully protesting against an oppressive system."[31]

Annual community birthday celebration

On July 12, 2018 the Rankin community in which Antwon Rose II was raised came together for the first annual celebration of his birthday. Antwon would have been 18 years old on July 12, 2018. The celebration was motivated by his mother as a way to bring together the community and remember him. The event offered food and entertainment for participants and the organizers put together 250 backpacks of books and distributed among young African American members of the community. [32]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Criminal complaint for Officer Michael Rosfeld, charged with homicide in fatal shooting of Antwon Rose". June 27, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Mindock, Clark (June 21, 2018). "Antwon Rose: Second day of protests after unarmed black teenager shot by officer who joined the force hours earlier". The Independent. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Pittsburgh officer in fatal shooting of Antwon Rose 'just sworn in'". BBC. June 21, 2018. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  4. ↑ Grand jury indicts teen arrested in drive-by shooting that preceded Antwon Rose II slaying, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, August 24, 2018
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Moton, Kenneth; Winsor, Morgan (June 27, 2018). "'No justification' for officer charged with homicide in killing of unarmed teen, prosecutor says". ABC News. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Held, Amy (June 21, 2018). "'Why Are They Shooting?' E. Pittsburgh Enraged Over Police Killing Of Black Teen". National Public Radio. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Horton, Alex (June 21, 2018). "Antwon Rose, unarmed teen shot and killed by East Pittsburgh police, remembered as 'a true joy'". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  8. 1 2 Cipriani, Marcie (June 22, 2018). "Officer who opened fire talks for first time since fatal shooting of Antwon Rose in East Pittsburgh". Pittsburgh WTAE. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  9. 1 2 Davidson, Samuel (June 22, 2018). "Hundreds rally in Pittsburgh to demand justice for unarmed teen killed by police". World Socialist Web Site. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Moye, David (June 20, 2018). "Unarmed Teenager Antwon Rose Shot 3 Times In Back While Fleeing Police". The Huffington Post. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Officer who shot Antwon Rose is accused of past civil rights violations". Vox. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Officer Michael Rosfeld to be named in lawsuit involving 2017 Oakland bar incident". WTAE. July 2, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  13. ↑ Bradbury, Shelly; Ward, Paula; Smektz, Adam. "Police shooting of unarmed youth in East Pittsburgh sparks outrage". Post Gazette. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  14. ↑ Simon, Darran; Silverman, Hollie (June 21, 2018). "East Pittsburgh police officer fatally shot 17-year-old Antwon Rose fleeing traffic stop". Philly Tribune. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  15. 1 2 Police detain teenager in North Braddock drive-by shooting that preceded Antwon Rose's death, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 26, 2018
  16. ↑ Police Killing of Antwon Rose, 17, in East Pittsburgh Prompts Protests, New York Times, June 21, 2018
  17. ↑ Rosenberg, Eli; Horton, Alex (June 22, 2018). "Pittsburgh protesters keep marching, three days after police killed a black teen as he ran away". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  18. ↑ Silverman, Darran Simon Hollie. "Teen's death by police ruled a homicide". The Philadelphia Tribune. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Mayor Peduto: East Pittsburgh officer should face trial in teen's death". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  20. ↑ Bauder, Bob. "Police overtime costs top $1M for Antwon Rose protests". TribLIVE.com. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  21. ↑ Divittorio, Theresa Clift, Jamie Martines and Mike. "Protests disrupt Pittsburgh, Homestead; 4 arrested". TribLIVE.com. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  22. ↑ "Car Drives Through Crowd Outside PNC Park Protesting Over The Killing Of Antwon Rose By East Pittsburgh Police Officer". KDKA-TV Staff. Pittsburgh: CBS Broadcasting Inc. CBS Pittsburgh. June 22, 2018. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
  23. ↑ "Protesters march in South Side over shooting death of Antwon Rose II". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  24. ↑ Moton, Kenneth; Claiborne, Matthew; Ghebremedhin, Sabina; Hutchinson, Bill (June 24, 2018). "'He murdered my son in cold blood': Mother of teenager fatally shot by Pennsylvania police officer". ABC News. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  25. ↑ Hayes-Freeland, Lynne (June 24, 2018). "Family, Friends, Supporters Pay Respects At Visitation For Antwon Rose". CBS Pittsburgh. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  26. ↑ Guza, Megan. "Hearing for East Pittsburgh Officer Michael Rosfeld relocated over security concerns". TribLIVE.com. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  27. ↑ Tribune-Review. "Antwon Rose protesters shut down Route 30 in North Versailles". TribLIVE.com. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  28. 1 2 "Protesters block Route 30 traffic in rally for social justice, Antwon Rose". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  29. ↑ EndPlay (July 9, 2018). "ROUTE 30 PROTEST: Protesters: Person taken to hospital after car drives through rally for Antwon Rose". WPXI. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  30. 1 2 Potter, Chris. "City Issues New Street Protest Policy In Wake Of Antwon Rose Protests". Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  31. ↑ "Antwon Rose II protesters confront city officials in Downtown Pittsburgh". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  32. ↑ "Rankin Community Marks Antwon Rose's 18th Birthday With Celebration Of Life". CBS Pittsburgh. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
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