Protests erupt after cop shoots unarmed black men in Washington

Protesters in Olympia
(Image credit: AP Photo/Ted S. Warren))

Hundreds of protesters marched in Washington state on Thursday after news broke that a white police officer in Olympia shot two unarmed black stepbrothers. The men were allegedly trying to steal beer from a grocery store. Both men are in stable condition and are expected to survive the shooting.

Ryan Donald, the police officer who confronted the stepbrothers, said the 21- and 24-year-old men had assaulted him with a skateboard on Thursday. Witnesses at the scene claimed one of the men was "advancing aggressively toward the officer," according to The Seattle Times.

Police say the men were not armed with guns when they were shot, and a team of detectives is investigating the shooting. The protesters marched from a park to the Olympia police headquarters on Thursday night, chanting the names of the shooting victims as well as slogans including "Black Lives Matter" and "No Justice, No Peace."

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Meghan DeMaria

Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.