More than 100 demonstrators gathered at Columbus City Hall Monday afternoon to bring light to concerns they have about the police shooting of Tyre King. The black 13-year-old was shot and killed last week as police responded to an armed robbery.
Columbus resident Pam Makowski decided to join the protest for Tyre King because she handles cases in juvenile courts. And she says she works a lot with black teen males who are affected by violence in different ways.
“By the time they get to juvenile court, they’ve been exposed to so much violence, it’s just their way of life," Makowski said. "And they can’t give you a reasonable explanation for anything. It’s just that’s the way it is, and we need to change that.”
King was killed last week by a white Columbus police officer.
Protesters read a list of demands, including police ending increased summer patrols in some high-crime neighborhoods.
Police did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday, but last week Chief Kim Jacobs defended the shooting of King. She says the BB gun he pulled from his waistband looked nearly identical to the weapons used by police.
