Expressing anger and frustration, several hundred protesters on Monday demanded justice for a Bangladeshi American college student who was fatally shot by police in the Boston suburb of Cambridge last week, a shooting that drew media attention. from Bangladesh.
Sayed Faisal, 20, a student at the University of Massachusetts Boston, was shot on January 4 as he advanced towards officers with what police described as a kukri and after a less-than-lethal “sponge probe” failed to was able to stop him, authorities said. . A kukri is a short sword with an angled blade that originated in South Asia.
Protesters at the Cambridge Town Hall rally organized by the Bangladesh New England Conference held signs reading “Justice for Faisal” and “Faisal Needed Help Not Bullets” as friends and teachers remembered his kindness, positive attitude and his intelligence.
An independent judicial inquiry into the shooting has been launched. The results of that investigation will be sent to the Middlesex district attorney’s office to decide whether the charges are warranted, a process that could take a year or more.
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Faisal, known to his family as Prince, was an only child who was never violent and had never been involved with law enforcement before, his parents said in a statement issued by the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
“We are completely devastated and in disbelief that our son is gone,” Cambridge residents said. “Prince was the most wonderful person, loving, caring, generous, understanding and deeply family-oriented. He loved to travel, create art and play sports with his friends.”
Hundreds of protesters demand justice for a college student who was killed by police in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
(FoxNews)
Cambridge Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui, City Manager Yi-An Huang, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Cambridge Police Commissioner Christine Elow are expected to attend a community meeting on Thursday to discuss the shooting and answer questions from the public.
The City Council also scheduled a special meeting on January 18 to discuss protocols, processes and training for the city police.
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Authorities have not released the name of the officer who opened fire. The officer, who is on paid administrative leave, is a seven-year veteran of the department who has never been the subject of a citizen complaint, police spokesman Jeremy Warnick said Monday.
According to the preliminary investigation, police received a 911 call last Wednesday afternoon from a resident who reported seeing a man jumping out of an apartment window with a machete that he appeared to be using to cut himself.
Officers and paramedics found the man, identified as Faisal, bleeding in an alley.
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Faisal saw the police, who asked him to drop the gun, and he ran several blocks.
He then reportedly moved towards police while still holding the gun, even as they fired a less-than-lethal round at him. He continued to advance and an officer fired a gun, wounding Faisal, who later died at a hospital, authorities said.
