Police Shootings

The audit found flaws in 50 police shooting investigations in St. Louis.

Morning Edition traveled to Ferguson and spoke to residents and leaders who have continued pushing for change in the city that was thrust into the national spotlight after the killing of an unarmed 18-year-old.

The audit found problems in all 50 of the unit’s investigations of shootings between 2014 and 2018.

Faith leaders and community organizers will discuss gun violence and public safety Wednesday at the Progressive National Baptist Convention town hall meeting in St. Louis. They'll convene public conversations about ways to prevent gun violence in Black communities and how to advocate for better gun control laws.

ArchCity’s Fatal State Violence project found that from 2009 to 2019, at least 132 people have been killed by police in the St. Louis region. The group uses the analysis to support their calls to action.

Arch City Defenders’ “Fatal State Violence” project counted deaths occurring in jails and at the hands of police in cities from St. Louis to Jefferson County. Now it’s expanding its mission into a rapid response team.

A St. Louis police officer shot and killed Cortez Bufford in December 2019. He claimed self-defense. But journalist Alison Flowers believes her forensic analysis demonstrates that he could not have been telling the truth.

DeValkenaere is the first Kansas City law enforcement officer to be convicted for the fatal shooting of a Black man. Following the conviction, the department suspended DeValkenaere without pay.

The officer approached what he believed to be a stolen vehicle when the suspect began shooting.

On Dec. 12, 2019, near the corner of Bates and Virginia in St. Louis’ Carondelet neighborhood, 24-year-old Cortez Bufford died after being shot multiple times by St. Louis Police officer Lucas Roethlisberger. The case has remained shrouded in darkness, as investigative journalists Alison Flowers and Sam Stecklow detail in their newly published deep dive.