Eight people in Detroit were arrested after two officers were injured when protesters clashed with authorities following the fatal police shooting of a suspect, a police sergeant said Saturday.
The eight were arrested Friday on suspicion of disorderly conduct, said Sgt. Nicole Kirkwood of the Detroit Police Department. One demonstrator also was arrested for investigation of aggravated assault.
Demonstrators threw rocks, bricks, bottles, storage coolers and traffic cones at officers Friday afternoon, Kirkwood said. Some even threw tear gas canisters that had been fired at them, she said.
"A handful of agitators became disruptive and started throwing projectiles at officers," Kirkwood said. "Two were hurt, and that's when arrests started."
She did not disclose the extent of the officers' injuries but said the protests unfolded at the site where a suspect had been arrested Friday for alleged drug distribution.
As Darnell Sylvester was being taken into custody, Hakim Littleton, 20, opened fire on officers from only feet away but missed, said Detroit police Chief James Craig.
"You're not going to take my man," Littleton said as he allegedly opened fire with a semiautomatic handgun, according to Craig.
Craig played body camera and dash-cam video of the confrontation during a news conference Friday.
Three officers returned fire, killing Littleton, police said.
"Mr. Littleton continued firing his weapon, even as he was on the ground," Craig said, adding the officers were not injured.
Rev. Dr. Wendell Anthony, president of the NAACP's Detroit branch, said police investigating the shooting should communicate their findings to the public as quickly as possible.
"This kind of rapid and clear communication to the community helps to both dispel and explain situations that could possibly lead to deep division and even conflict," Anthony said in a statement.
