A vigil for a teen who died in police custody turned violent in Durham, North Carolina, with riot police using tear gas and batons to disperse the crowd.
At least six people were arrested at the Thursday night march to protest the death of 17-year-old Jesus Huerta, according to police.
"I could not be more proud of the restraint and professionalism demonstrated by our officers," Durham Police Chief Jose Lopez said in a statement to the media, adding that injuries to those marching were minimized because of his officers' actions.
"There was a march. The peaceful intent did not exist. We used the best practices in law enforcement," he said at a news conference Friday.
Protesters threw bottles and rocks at police officers and vandalized police property, Lopez said, defending his officers' reaction to the vigil.
The Durham Police Department says Huerta died on November 19 from a self-inflicted gunshot while handcuffed in the back of a police cruiser. The teen was being taken to the police station by Officer Samuel Duncan about 3 a.m. for a second-degree trespassing violation.
FULL STORY
"A second degree trespassing violation," sounds like nothing more than a ticketable offense. What was he doing in custody? Sounds like a fatal error on a police department much too much full of its own self pride.
"died on November 19 from a self-inflicted gunshot while handcuffed in the back of a police cruiser" I'm curious how does one get a self inflicted gun shot wound while handcuffed? I'm also curious as to why he wasn't being transported to a hospital if it didn't occur within the patrol car?
@ Brian, im with you. This whole thing stinks to high heaven and smells of nothing but lie after lie!
This whole case stinks. This is the third such shooting in the last few months there; what in Earth is happening in Durham?
Yawn.
Well, Stuart, I am not jacking Rupert, but it appears that he's doing it anyway. Such is the little mind of the little man.
But then, Rupert did cave in his skull in a fall from a ladder at Walmart, so I guess I should cut him a little slack.
So...?
My skull is fine but I only have 2 teeth left that look like tusks. I am horrible.
You fell on your face when you fell off the ladder? I'm sorry.
I told u he hit his head. He was to cranky last nite.
He didnt even make it to 18. Rotten police.
This calls for a $5 million law suit. Hey. Where is the aclu? They usually help. Not here I guess.
Re the picture.
SARCASM ALERT. Aww. The poor little kid. With his birthday cake. He doesn't look like a 17 year old gang thug. Because he doesn't look 17.
So whenever one of these guys get shot at 17, does the "equal rights" movement intentionally circulate pictures of him as a 12 year old, or has the guy's loving family just not bothered taking pictures of him for the past 5 years?
The normal procedure when a person is taken into custody is that they are frisked before being placed into the back of the car. So if they had frisked him, they would have found the gun. What is wrong with this picture ? Either they failed to do their job or this is one smelly coverup.
I expected to see more interest in this news item.
Could it be that Jesus Huerta was not of the proper ethnicity to elicit outrage?
It did, Hagen. There are other news outlets.