Police shooting death of African American sparks protests in California

The fatal shooting of an African American has sparked demonstrations against police violence in the US city of Pasadena, California, with protesters calling on the city’s officials to hold law enforcement to account for the man’s death.

Anthony McClain, the 32-year-old father of three, was shot and killed during a traffic stop last week, with police claiming that the man had pulled a handgun while running from officers.

On Thursday, California police released the video of the shooting that left the black man dead in Pasadena at the weekend, prompting protests and community outrage.

In the footage, McClain can be seen fleeing on foot with what appears to be something shiny around his waistband which police claimed was a pistol.

After running a short distance with officers chasing him, McClain turned and looked at them over his right shoulder. Police said they feared he was turning back to shoot at them, and so the officer closest to McClain shot at him twice.

He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died from his injuries.

Caree Harper, the McClain family’s attorney, rejected the officers’ claims and said what police saw on the video was a large metal belt buckle not a weapon.

The Police Department has so far refused to release the names of the law enforcement officers involved in the fatal encounter.

Since the deadly shooting on Saturday, protesters have gathered outside Pasadena’s municipality as well as the home of Pasadena Councilman Victor Gordo to demand the officers in McClain’s death be charged.

On one occasion, a crowd gathered at the scene of the incident and broke through police tape surrounding the site, with a man shouting and cursing at officers.

The outburst caused one officer to fire his stun gun into the man’s chest, dropping him to the ground. Police then discharged pepper spray at the angry crowd to force them to retreat.

The Pasadena City Council, under public pressure, is scheduled next week to consider implementing a police oversight commission to investigate the fatal shooting of McClain.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and the City of Pasadena are also supposed to conduct an independent third party review of the incident.

Police use Taser on black woman during arrest

In another development on Thursday, a police officer was fired in Gwinnett County, Atlanta, following an investigation into an incident that involved a white officer cursing at and using a Taser on a black woman during an arrest.

The video of the incident, which surfaced on a Twitter account and quickly went viral, was shared by more than 6,000 people within five hours.

Gwinnett police censured Officer Michael Oxford's conduct and said his attitude during the arrest failed to meet the department's standards for de-escalation of a situation.

"One of our core values is courtesy," Corporal Collin Flynn said in a statement. "We strive to conduct ourselves in a manner that promotes mutual respect with the community and our peers.”

"The investigation in this case has shown that Officer Oxford violated our policy and did not meet our core values. For this reason, the employment of Officer Oxford has been terminated as of August 21st."

Police released body camera footage of the arrest on Friday.

Portland protests enter 85th day

The two incidents relating to the US police violence come as protesters in Portland clashed again with federal agents outside a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement building on Friday.

People in a group of about 100 sprayed the building with graffiti, hurled rocks and bottles at agents and shined laser lights at them.

Media reports said police used tear gas and crowd-control munitions to disperse the protesters. Three people were arrested.

Violent demonstrations have been taking place in Oregon's largest city for more than two months following the brutal murder of unarmed African American George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis in May.

Police declare riot as Portland protesters set fires, attack government building

Protesters lit fires, threw rocks and smashed windows at county government offices in the US city of Portland early Wednesday.

The 46-year-old died after a white officer knelt on his neck and pinned him to the ground for nine minutes in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25.

Floyd's death unleashed protests against police brutality and racial justice in the US, with many world countries also rejuvenating the Black Lives Matter movement.

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