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The family and community of an 18-year-old Black teen is calling for answers and accountability after he was fatally shot by Baltimore police earlier this year.
Donnell Rochester was shot and killed on February 19 while being pursued by police over an outstanding bench warrant, police said. The warrant was reportedly in relation to a prior carjacking charge the teen received.
On Friday (March 25), protesters joined Rochester's family and loved ones for a "Justice for Donnell Rochester" rally that called on transparency and accountability from city officials. The rally included a march to Baltimore's City Hall where they called out Mayor Brandon Scott to take action on the fatal police encounter.
"My son didn't deserve it at all. Like, not at all," Rochester's mother, Danielle Brown, said during the rally, according to a report by ABC News affiliate WMAR. "He wasn't a bad person and to not have him here no more with me, it's like a nightmare. They killed him for nothing," Brown said.
Earlier in the month, the slain teen's family and friends gathered at the Baltimore police headquarters, seeking criminal charges against the officers involved, as reported by The Baltimore Sun. According to ABC News, those officers include, Antoine Galloway, Joshua Lutz, Robert Mauri, and Connor Murray. All four have been placed on administrative duties.
An investigation into the fatal incident was announced the same evening Rochester was shot. The Baltimore Police Department and Maryland Attorney General's Office are both investigating.
Bodycam footage shows two Murrary and Mauri firing shots into the vehicle as Rochester attempts to drive away. After the second officer fires shots, Rochester stop the car, gets out with his hands up and drops to his knees. Officers noticed blood pooling beside him and ask where he was injured.
The footage shows Rochester having difficulty speaking before he responds, "No," to an officer who asked, "Are you OK?"
Medics arrived on the scene transported the 18-year-old to a local hospital where he later passed away.
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