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Memphis Black Lives Matter Demands ‘Truthful’ Account Of How Black Suspect Was Killed By Marshals

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Matt M. Miller Contributor
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A Black Lives Matter chapter in Memphis is demanding “a truthful accounting” of the marshals’ actions that led to a black man’s death, igniting anti-police riots Wednesday night.

The activist group said it wants “transparency and accountability” for the death of suspect Brandon Webber, 20, who was wanted for allegedly committing armed robbery earlier in June.

Webber reportedly crashed a stolen vehicle into a police car Wednesday evening, commencing a firefight between himself and federal agents that resulted in his death.

Webber “reportedly rammed his vehicle into the officers’ vehicles multiple times before exiting with a weapon,” the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said.

A Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokesperson said a fugitive task force was seeking a suspect at a Frayser home, according to The Associated Press.

The total number of times he was shot was not confirmed, The Daily Memphian reported.

“Brandon Webber was many things: a father, a student, a friend, a brother and a brother to many. All of those things were brought to an abrupt end when he was killed by US Marshalls, June 12th, 2019,” Black Lives Matter Memphis said in a statement given to The Daily Caller News Foundation on Friday.

A federal fugitive task force was seeking Webber for the armed robbery of a Mississippi man trying to sell a vehicle to the suspect. When Webber and the salesman took the vehicle for a test drive, Webber allegedly shot the man five times at point-blank range, according to DeSoto County District Attorney General John Champion, ABC News reported.

Black Lives Matter said it empathizes with the community and Webber’s family, supporting their skepticism toward the official story of the shooting.

“We understand their righteous anger at watching a person they love be killed with no answers or remorse. We empathize with their grief, and we support their demands for truthful, transparent account of what happened to their loved one,” it continues. (RELATED: At Least 24 Officers Injured Amid Protest After Police Killed A Black Man In Tennessee)

The riots that ensued following Webber’s death reportedly left 36 police officers injured in the chaos, six of whom were hospitalized, according to the Memphis Police Department, ABC News reported.

The Memphis Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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