OLYMPIA — Hundreds of people gathered Thursday evening in Olympia, Washington, to protest a police shooting that wounded two stepbrothers suspected of trying to steal beer from a grocery store.
Protesters who gathered at a park held signs that read “We Are Grieving,” “Race is a Factor,” and “Black Lives Matter.”
One man, Rafael Ruiz, addressed the crowd, saying, “We’re not going to say this kind of violence is OK.”
Police say the two were not armed with guns when they were shot by a police officer who confronted them.
The officer reported he was being assaulted with a skateboard early Thursday before the shooting that left a 21-year-old man in critical but stable condition. A 24-year-old man was in stable condition. Both are expected to survive.
The young men are black and the officer is white. The shooting is being investigated by a team of detectives from several agencies.
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