Twenty-four police injured in Memphis riot after fatal shooting

[June 13, 2019]  By Rich McKay

(Reuters) - At least 24 police officers were injured in Memphis, Tennessee in violent clashes with protesters, who took to the streets following the shooting death of a man killed by U.S. Marshals during an attempted arrest, authorities said on Thursday.

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said two journalists were also injured when the crowd attacked police with bricks and rocks. Authorities gave no immediate account of injuries among the demonstrators.

"At least 24 officers and deputies were injured -- six were taken to the hospital," Strickland said in a Facebook post early Thursday morning. "Multiple police cars were vandalized. A concrete wall outside a business was torn down. The windows were broken out at fire station 31."

Neither the mayor nor a representative with the Memphis Police Department were immediately available for further comment.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said it had been called in to investigate the shooting, which it said took place after U.S. Marshals tried to arrest a man wanted on "multiple warrants". It did not identify the dead man.

The TBI said that the man rammed his vehicle several times into police cars before getting out with a weapon.

"The officers fired striking and killing the individual," the release said, adding that no officers were injured in the immediate incident.

Officials with the Memphis Police Department reported on Twitter that after the shooting, some police officers "received minor injuries" from people throwing "bricks/rocks" at them.

The Memphis Appeal newspaper reported that a "tense standoff" escalated with dozens of people.

There were no initial reports on other arrests or the extent of injuries.

Mayor Strickland posted, "Let me be clear—the aggression shown toward our officers and deputies tonight was unwarranted."

(Reporting by Rich McKay)

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