Police shootings of teens spark protests

On April 12, Knoxville Police Officer Jonathon Clabough shot 17-year-old Anthony Thompson Jr., who had a gun in the bathroom of his high school. The district attorney released body camera and surveillance footage on Wednesday and announced that Clabough will not face criminal charges. In Columbus, Ohio, Officer Nicholas Reardon shot 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant on Tuesday as she charged at two people with a knife. The police department released initial footage of the event that night and the next day released the body camera footage from the other officers present. The shooting happened less than half an hour before a Minneapolis judge read the verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin.

How have people responded? In Columbus, people marched and gathered outside the police department in protest of Bryant’s death. Knoxville protesters on Tuesday raised their fists in a Knox County Commission meeting, demanding the release of the Thompson shooting footage. District Attorney Charme Allen initially said no, citing the ongoing investigation, but a judge on Wednesday forced her to release it. More protests followed after she announced there would be no criminal charges.

Dig deeper: Read Sharon Dierberger’s report on WORLD Digital about two pastors’ hopes for peace after the Derek Chauvin trial.