Police in the US state of Oklahoma have fatally shot a black man while trying to pick him up for a mental health issue, sparking a protest by African American residents in the city of Tulsa.
Three law enforcement officers were attempting to pick up 29-year-old Joshua Barre near his house on Friday, but the man walked away to a nearby store, according to Tulsa police spokesman Leland Ashley.
Two Tulsa County sheriff’s deputies and a Tulsa city police officer shot Barre before he could enter the store after they discovered that he was carrying two knives, Ashley said.
The sheriff’s deputies who fired the shots are white and the police officer is black. All three have been put on administrative leave.
Authorities are reviewing footage believed to have been recorded by police dashboard and store surveillance cameras. It is not clear how many times Barre was struck.
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Police had gone to Barre’s home several times since a civil mental health pickup…