VonDerritt Myers Jr. – a black high-school student shot at 17 times by an off-duty police officer – was “no angel,” and the officer should not have hesitated to shoot him, said St. Louis Police Association leaders at a press conference held at the association’s headquarters on Tuesday afternoon.
Myers’ family and neighbors have publicly said they did not believe the young man was armed when he was shot and killed – though police reported a stolen gun at the crime scene that was allegedly Myers’.
St. Louis City Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce has co-designated the U.S. Attorney’s Office to investigate and review the case.
Moments before the press conference, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department released lab results that showed Myers had “gunshot residue” on his hands, pants and shirt. The department stated that, “The presence of gunshot residue on the jeans and shirt could be from being in the environment of a discharged weapon or coming in contact with an object with gunshot residue on it.”
Jerryl Christmas, attorney for Myers’ family, told the St. Louis American that the family does not believe that he had a gun. In regards to the gunshot residue test, which was conducted by the Missouri Highway Patrol, Christmas said, “He was shot numerous times. There’s going to be gunshot residue.”
However, Jeff Roorda, business manager for the police officers association, said that the test validated the story of the police officer – a 32-year-old white male and a six-year veteran of the police force. His name has not yet been released to the public or the Myers’ family.
On Oct. 8, the unnamed officer was working a second job as a GCI Security officer for the Flora Street neighborhood when he saw three young African-American men at about 7:30 p.m. standing in the 4100 block of Shaw Boulevard, according to police. Shaw is three blocks away from the street the officer was hired to patrol.
When the officer then did a u-turn, the males ran from the area, according to the police department’s statement. The officer followed the men through several streets, got out of his car and followed one of the males through a gangway. After Myers and the officer got into a “physical altercation,” Myers allegedly ran up a hill and then turned and fired three rounds toward the officer. “Fearing for his safety,” the officer returned fire, according to police.
At the press conference, the officer’s attorney Brian Millikan said the officer did not initially see a gun in Myers’ waistband.
“He saw Myers holding the waistband which indicated to him that he could have a gun,” he said. “In this case, he was in uniform and he had an obligation to act.”
Police officers have power of arrest, he said, whether they are working a secondary job or not. However, Millikan told the St. Louis American that it is uncommon for security officers to address crime outside of their patrol zones, and this was an unusual situation.
Roorda said that the police found pictures of Myers on social media displaying a weapon of the same make and caliber that was fired at the officer and recovered at the scene.
Christmas said Myers’ mother believed the photo was about a year old, judging from his haircut and clothing. According to the police report, the 9mm gun that Myers allegedly used was reported stolen on Sept. 26, 2014. The make of the gun that police now report finding differs from the one that St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson initially mentioned after the incident occurred.
Dotson had said they found a Ruger 9mm pistol, and now they report finding a Smith & Wesson 9mm.
Upon recovery of the gun, the investigation revealed that the gun had malfunctioned and had jammed after firing at least three rounds, according to police. Allegedly Myers continued to point the gun toward the officer and pull the trigger, and the officer continued to fire shots at him.
Joe Steiger, president of the police association, said that the officer should not have hesitated to shoot Myers.
“He’s running from the scene, the officer has every right to run after him,” Steiger said. “At what point did the officer take action? When he pulled the gun out and shot him. He hesitated, and that’s my real concern is that our officer is hesitating and that’s going to cause him to get hurt.”
While many young black men sag their pants and tend to have on hand on their waistbands, the St. Louis American asked if police officers chase after every young man who is holding his pants. Steiger said that police are trained to know the difference between a man pulling up his pants and a man holding a gun.
Millikan said that Myers had his right hand at his side and his left hand was in a running motion. When asked if they encourage young men to use their left hands to hold their pants to prevent confusion, Roorda said, “We encourage them not to walk around the streets with stolen guns and not shoot a police officer.”
Millikan said they are opposed to releasing the officer’s name to the public because he has received threats.
Roorda also told the press about a case involving Myers in St. Louis County 21st Judicial Circuit Court. Myers was a juvenile but certified as an adult, and he said, “Prosecution was initiated in regards to a murder in St. Louis County.” One reporter corrected Roorda and said that it was not a murder case but a shooting.
Roorda acknowledged that the investigation did not result in a conviction. When asked what the significance of the case was if he was not found guilty, Roorda responded, “I’ll let you guys decide.”
The incident happened just before the two-month anniversary of the shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown, an unarmed black man who was killed by a white police officer in Ferguson on August 9. Myers’ death incited several protests during the Ferguson October weekend of civil disobedience actions to bring awareness to police brutality.
Ferguson October leaders released a statement after the press conference, stating that the police chose to collude the Weekend of Resistance with “the character assassination of a teenager who was killed by a law enforcement officer.”
“The information released about VonDerrit Myers’ past sheds absolutely no light on what the officer knew at the time he decided to stop him,” the statement read. “We have no indication that VonDerrit was engaged in any illegal activity other than being ‘suspicious,’ which police have allowed to become a code word for racial profiling.”
The officer’s “stop & frisk” tactics have been condemned from coast-to-coast, organization leaders said.
“Police departments, here and across the country, vigorously defend unconstitutional practices that violate the civil rights of black communities,” the statement read. “Police unions continue to make it their primary purpose to stand with police officers unconditionally, no matter how reprehensible their behavior.”
Ferguson October leaders criticized Chief Dotson for failing to fulfill his promise to residents – that a transparent Force Investigative Unit that would fully disclose complete reports, which would then be followed by an independent investigation by the Circuit Attorney.
“Instead, the police union was allowed to cherry-pick biased information from an allegedly active investigation into the shooting death of VonDerrit Myers,” the statement read. “He has trampled all over that investigation by effectively partnering with Rep. Jeff Roorda and the union he leads in a clear attempt to sway public opinion.”
The group believes that the St. Louis police department is unable to complete a fair & impartial investigation.
“Teens like VonDerrit Myers live in an environment where police have been given carte-blanche as judge, jury and executioner.”