About 25 people gathered outside St. Louis police headquarters Friday to mark two years since officers shot and killed Isaiah Hammett while executing a search warrant at his grandfather’s home.
SWAT officers who conducted the raid said Hammett, 21, began firing a semiautomatic AK-47 rifle at them as they raided the home, and officers returned fire. Hammett, who was suspected to be involved in illegal gun and drug sales, was shot more than 20 times.
“We feel like this was an intentional execution,†said John Chasnoff, co-chair of Coalition Against Police Crimes and Repression, which organized the protest. “Today we’re here specifically to honor Isaiah.â€
Chasnoff wore a shirt bearing Hammett’s face and the message “JUSTICE FOR ISAIAH†and used a megaphone to detail how Hammett died. Chasnoff called for an end to police militarization while some in the group held signs with messages including “OUR CHILDREN ARE NOT PESTS, SO WHY S.W.A.T. THEM?†and “FEARED FOR THEIR LIVES???â€
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Coalition member Keith Rose said he believed a general police force rather than SWAT officers could have served the search warrant.
“SWAT was not formed to execute warrants,†Rose said. “SWAT was formed to execute people.â€
Hammett’s family recently filed a lawsuit against St. Louis and the nine officers involved in the search that resulted in Hammett’s death. The lawsuit alleges police used excessive force when they fired on Hammett.
Hammett’s mother, Gina Torres, spoke through tears about her difficulty accepting her son’s death.
“I just wait for him to come in that door,†Torres said. “They killed the wrong kid when they killed my son.â€
After the protest, Torres hugged her husband and said she still seeks justice for Isaiah.
“To see all the shots that went into my son’s body,†Torres said. “It’s wrong.â€
Officer-involved shootings in the St. Louis area during 2019
These are the incidents of police officer shootings in the St. Louis area during 2019.
A shoplifting suspect driving a car hit an officer. The driver then shifted into reverse and struck another shoplifting suspect, Rider said. T…
An off-duty Bel-Ridge police officer shot an intruder in a neighbor's apartment near Belleville on Christmas Eve, according to the St. Clair C…
A St. Louis police officer shot and wounded a robbery suspect in the Grove entertainment district early Thursday after the man pointed a gun a…
A St. Louis police officer shot and killed a man Thursday night in the Carondelet neighborhood. The police chief said the man had a semiautom…
The man was taken to a hospital with injuries that were deemed not life-threatening, and no police officers were hurt. The shooting happened a…
Police in East St. Louis shot and injured a man after he fired shots at them, according to the Illinois State Police. His injuries were not li…
Police fired a shot at a suspect — but missed — after the suspect ran toward St. Louis police officers with a gun in his hand. Officers caught…
A police officer shot and killed a man who pointed a gun at the officer in the 1200 block of Clinton Street, according to the St. Louis Police…
Charges say Stallworth fired two shots at an undercover police officer's vehicle in the 3200 block of Gravois Avenue; charges don't indicate i…
Bradley Arning, 42, was shot to death inside a home in the 2800 block of Briarcote Lane in Maryland Heights. He died at a hospital, police said.
The officer was attending the event when a fight between two groups broke out and they began shooting into the crowd, according to a police me…
Christopher M. Cook, 24, was charged after allegedly throwing a knife at officers, who fired several shots, police said.
The officer chased possible shoplifters through the parking garage to their car. The men got in, and the car "suddenly accelerated," and the o…
The fatal shooting happened about 12:50 a.m. Thursday in the 3900 block of Garfield Avenue. The dead man — shot once in the chest — was in his 20s.
A police spokesman said the shooting happened around 3 p.m., after a Richmond Heights police officer saw Terry Tillman, of St. Louis, carrying…
An Illinois State Police trooper was fatally shot while executing a “high risk†search warrant along with other members of a SWAT team in a re…
During a car chase, police exchanged gunfire with Elijah "Billy" Moore, 37, until the truck he was driving ran off the side of the road near W…
The man was hit once in the hand and once in the arm; no officers were injured during the shooting at about 1 p.m. Thursday near the 4100 bloc…
Timothy B. Stokes, 51, was charged after he allegedly fired shots at Illinois State Troopers on I-255. He also allegedly killed a woman in Eas…
Two men have been charged in connection with his murder.Â
The plainclothes officer, who had been watching the complex from an unmarked police car, was shot about 3:45 a.m. in the 2100 block of Gallery…
Darnacio Johnson, 19, listed in court documents as a homeless man from Belleville is charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated di…
A 42-year-old man died Friday after being shot by a police officer in a standoff that began when he exchanged gunfire with officers trying to …
Erron Williams, 31, pointed a gun at the officer and was then shot once around 11:30 a.m. in the 2000 block of Congressional Drive, police said
Rodnell Cotton, 26, was shot and killed after he allegedly shot a St. Louis police officer in the leg. Another officer then shot Cotton near D…
Deven Strauther, 28, was charged in July with federal robbery; he was one of two men who tried to rob a jewelry store when an off-duty officer…
St. Louis County prosecutors charged James Trice, 20, with unlawful use of a weapon, a misdemeanor. Velda City police say he fired one shot at…
Officers fired shots early Friday at an SUV that repeatedly charged at police in a residential area, police said. David Anderson, 18, was char…
St. Louis County police were called to the Schnucks grocery at 8867 Ladue Road, at Interstate 170, to assist the Ladue Police Department with …
The suspect was shot in the shoulder about 8 a.m., apparently as he and the Jefferson County sheriff's deputy struggled over the deputy's gun.…
A St. Louis City officer shot Demetrious Brooks, 34, of St. Charles, in the 3600 block of Virginia Avenue. The shooting happened during a stru…
March 25: Armed man killed by officer in St. Louis had just robbed and shot acquaintance, police say
Kaylon Robinson, 18, of the 3200 block of Ohio Avenue, died; the officer wasn't injured. The shooting, about 11:30 p.m. Monday, was in the 300…
Kevin Butenhoff, 37, was injured in the shooting, and charged with a count of armed criminal action after allegedly refusing to put down a met…
James Hunn, 61, died six days after he pointed a shotgun at University City police officers, and an officer shot and wounded him, authorities say.
Billy L. Walker Jr., 53, of Hillsboro, was shot near Staunton after a police chase that began with reports of a carjacking in Glen Carbon. The…
An officer shot at a gunman who opened fire near police, but no one was hit in the exchange of gunshots, police said.
Officer Nathaniel R. Hendren, 29, is accused in the shooting of Officer Katlyn Alix, 24, while they were playing with a gun. Alix was off-duty…
Officer Katlyn Alix, 24, was allegedly shot by Officer Nathaniel R. Hendren, 29, while they were playing with a gun. Hendren was on duty at th…
A man was shot in the leg by a deputy as he charged at officers with a knife, Jefferson County sheriff’s officials said.
Demetrius O. Ward, 42, was shot after a short car chase; he was seriously injured, and later charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.Â
Dale Weich, 64, was fatally shot by O'Fallon police during a mental health check. Weich was armed with a handgun, police said.
Quency Chavez Floyd, 22, a carjacking suspect, fired a gun at police and was then shot and killed when officers returned fire near a Schnucks …
Michael W. Mobley was shot and killed when he raised a gun at officers at a home in the Leadwood area and one of the officers opened fire, the…
Some of the shootings in 2018 killed the suspects; others caused injuries.
