Quote · Up First from NPR
How an anti-police violence protest ended in a teen’s death
Where this was said
What Witnesses Said: The White Jeep and 30 Shots
At 4:54 · chapter starts 3:45
On the ground that morning, Brownstone sought witnesses willing to describe what had happened. Protesters told her a white Jeep had been driving through the camp erratically — circling, seemingly trying to run people over. They said they heard shots coming from inside the Jeep, and that CHOP's defenders returned fire. One witness estimated at least 30 shots were fired. The account was clear and consistent: CHOP was under attack, and they had defended themselves. Protesters were visibly certain. But Brownstone found herself deeply unsettled. The scene was too chaotic for anyone to be sure of anything, she thought — and yet the story seemed to be cementing itself in real time, before the facts were established.
Antonio Mays Jr. was only 16 years old when he was shot and killed inside CHOP, an anti-police-violence protest in Seattle.
Within hours of the shooting, a clear narrative had solidified among CHOP protesters: the white Jeep attacked them, and they defended themselves. But Brownstone, on the ground amid total chaos, was disturbed by how certain everyone seemed before the facts were established. That narrative would go unchallenged for years.
A witness at CHOP estimated that approximately 30 shots were fired during the incident involving the white Jeep carrying Antonio Mays Jr.
