Protesters burn flag at North Carolina governor’s mansion after police shooting

Protests erupted in Raleigh, N.C., on Tuesday night, with demonstrators burning a flag at the governor’s mansion after police shot an alleged gunman during a chase. 

Hundreds of protesters rallied outside Gov. Roy Cooper’s (D) mansion, where the crowd took and burned an American flag, blocked roads and chanted, CBS News reported. Protesters also gathered outside the home of Raleigh’s police chief.

The demonstrations broke out after a police-involved shooting earlier Tuesday evening. 

Officials responded to reports of a gunman at about 6:45 p.m., the police department said in a statement. Authorities added that a chase ensued when officers encountered a man who matched the alleged gunman’s description, adding that officers repeatedly called for the man to drop a weapon.

The man, identified as Javier Torres, 26, was shot once by an officer and is in “stable condition” at a local hospital, local station WRAL reported, citing the Wake County district attorney. A handgun was reportedly found on the scene. 

Cameras worn by the officer involved in the shooting and others present recorded the incident. The police department said it will seek to release the footage.

Raleigh Police are investigating an officer-involved shooting. A firearm was found near the 26-year old suspect who was transported to Wake Med. As is standard protocol, the SBI is investigating.

— Raleigh Police (@raleighpolice) March 11, 2020

Raleigh Police new release on officer-involved shooting. https://t.co/pdIwhdesSY

— Raleigh Police (@raleighpolice) March 11, 2020

Police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown told reporters in an early morning press conference that she wanted to “address some misinformation that is circulating on social media” about Torres’s age and what transpired. Witness accounts that spread throughout social media indicated Torres was a teenager and unarmed, The Associated Press reported.

“As a result of the reckless and false information that has been spread on social media, a number of spontaneous protests occurred during the night which resulted in minor damage to property in and around the downtown area,” she said. 

“This is not who we are as a city,” she added, according to the AP.

Police told The Hill that one person associated with the protest was arrested and charged with simple assault.

The shooting reportedly took place in the same shopping center where police fatally shot Soheil Antonio Mojarrad, 30, in April 2019. Officers claimed he was holding a knife, but no body camera footage was available and the district attorney declined to press charges against the officer, the AP noted, adding that Mojarrad was shot eight times.

–This report was updated at 12:31 p.m.