San Antonio newspaper threatens to publish names, addresses of local officers after unarmed black man shot dead
San Antonio newspaper threatens to publish names, addresses of local officers after unarmed black man shot dead
The editor-in-chief of a tabloid threatened to publish the names and addresses of every cop in San Antonio after police mistakenly took 36-year-old Antronie Scott’s cellphone for a gun and fatally shot him.
KENS-TV reported that Stephanie Zarriello of the San Antonio Observer said: ‘Like Ku Klux Klansmen with hoods, [officers] do everything they can in order to protect their identities for fear of being brought to justice.
‘Just as the names and addresses of sex offenders are publicized in order to protect the public from their wicked behavior, we feel that our community has the right to the exact same level of protection.’
Her comments were made at a press conference held by the newspaper Saturday, where the owners of the paper spoke on behalf of Antronie Scott’s family.
The 36-year-old black man, who was wanted for felony firearm and drug warrants, was being followed by an undercover detective on Thursday night.
The detective wanted a uniformed officer to make the arrest and officer John Lee, who has served on the police force for 10 years, was called to the parking lot outside Wood Hollow Apartments.
According to police chief William McManus, Lee approached Scott, who turned around.
The officer thought Scott was holding a gun in his hand, feared for his life, and shot him in the upper torso, McManus said.
Scott, who died on the scene, was holding a cell phone. No gun was found.
Body cameras have yet to be distributed to Lee’s precinct, and the shooting occurred out of the view of Lee’s dash cam.
The camera did capture the audio, and McManus said: ‘The officer shouted to ‘show me your hands,’ and as soon as that statement was made, you heard a gunshot.
‘It was very fast, it was in the blink of an eye.’
Officer Lee has been placed on paid leave while the department carries out an investigation.
This is the latest string of events as protests over the deaths of unarmed black men have erupted around the country calling for an end to police brutality and racial discrimination.
