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Protestors Issue Demands To City In Wake Of Tyre King Shooting

Columbus City Council members had little comment during last night's meeting about a protest held at City Hall yesterday calling for justice in the Tyre King shooting. 150 demonstrators called for independent investigations into the shooting death of the black teen by a white police officer last week. They also called for the city to turn over to the community a city summer program to reduce violence and build trust between police and neighborhoods. Council member Elizabeth Brown watched the protest.

Council member and former Columbus Safety Director Mitch Brown asked current Safety Director Ned Pettus to detail the city's investigatory process, then called for people to let it play out.

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The demonstration was organized by a group called the People's Justice Project. Group member Tammy Alsaada.

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Lead organizer Amber Evans says they held the rally to continue mourning King's death, begin the healing process and deliver the following demands to city officials.

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Evans says the bond money and more of the safety budget should  be put toward facilities for trauma, recovery and healing services and into neighborhoods hardest hit by violence. The city has scheduled a public hearing later this week on police body camera policy and implementation. Officers are expected to be equipped with the devices by the end of the year.  King was shot by officer Bryan Mason.  Records obtained by the Associated Press show Mason met or exceeded standards in a performance evaluation last May. The evaluation notes Mason maintains composure under stress and demonstrates "exceptional verbal skills" in defusing "potentially hostile situations." An independent pathologist hired by the King family examined the body on Sunday and determined King was shot three times: once in the head, once in the collar bone and once in the torso. The Franklin County Coronor's office has refused to release details of the autopsy completed last week. The 19-year-old charged over the weekend in the robbery that proceeded King's shooting waived his court appearance yesterday. Demetrius Braxton will remain in the Franklin County jail pending arraignment later this month.  
 

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