A 22-year-old black man has been killed while protesting police brutality in Omaha, Nebraska.
James Scurlock was shot dead outside a bar Saturday night and was pronounced dead at the hospital.
According to Vice News, Omaha Police have someone in custody connected to the shooting but are refusing to provide any more details on who the shooter is. Some local news outlets say the shooter was a white man, the owner of local bars in the area.
“Any charging decision on that front will come from the county attorney’s office,” Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said. “And he tells me that will be accompanied by a press conference.”
Local outlets are reporting that Scurlock allegedly broke one of the bar’s windows during the protest, however people on social media are saying he never did and that the shooter provoked the shooting.
They say that the shooter used racial slurs against Scurlock before firing his gun.
“The Omaha Police Department is not currently looking for any suspects,” Omaha police said in a statement. “Investigators are in the process of reviewing all collected evidence, video, witness interviews, and conferring with the Douglas County Attorney’s office.”
Scurlock’s father is now calling for justice and said he and his family want “closure and peace.”
“Last night, I lost a son. My wife lost a son. My kids lost a brother,” Scurlock’s father James told Omaha World-Herald. “His daughter lost a father. All because he decided to protest against racism. There’s a lot of speculation and rumors about how this happened. I don’t really care, to be honest. My family wants closure and peace. What we want is for this to go to court and get a full prosecution. We want this to go with justice and go peacefully.”
Scurlock was one of hundreds of protestors who took to the street in downtown Omaha Saturday night. This comes as protests continue around the nation in response to the senseless killing of George Floyd.
A woman told the Omaha World-Herald that Scurlock was her “best friend, my go-to.”
“A life for a window is not okay. No justice, no peace,” she added.
