Mayor: US Justice Dept to help dialog about police shooting
TUPELO, Miss. (AP) – A northeast Mississippi mayor says he has asked the U.S. Department of Justice to lead a community meeting about the police shooting that killed a man two weeks ago.
Tupelo officials say Officer Tyler Cook shot 37-year-old Antwun “Ronnie” Shumpert in self-defense.
Shumpert’s family has sued the city. A protest Friday packed the lobby of City Hall.
Mayor Jason Shelton tells the Daily Journal that he’s asked the justice department’s community relations team to help. He says he himself has been talking daily with many community leaders, “trying to have a civil discourse.”
Police say Shumpert had fled a traffic stop.
The family’s attorney, Carlos Moore of Grenada, says authorities should explain the reason for the traffic stop.
