Washington D.C., Sep 18, 2017 / 15:29 pm
The Archbishop of St. Louis called for prayer and peace after a judge acquitted a former St. Louis police officer in the shooting of a man in 2011.
"If we want peace and justice, we must come together as a community through prayer, mutual understanding, and forgiveness," Archbishop Robert Carlson said Sept. 15. "While acknowledging the hurt and anger, we must not fuel the fires of hatred and division."
On Friday, St. Louis Circuit Judge Timothy Wilson acquitted former officer Jason Stockley of first-degree murder charges in the shooting of 24 year-old Anthony Lamar Smith in 2011. Stockley, a white officer with the St. Louis Police Department, fatally shot Smith after a car chase.
The case received special attention in the wake of another high profile case in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014, where police officer Darren Wilson fatally shot 18 year-old Michael Brown. Riots occurred in the area, pointing to longstanding racial tensions and alleging a history of police abuse.