Protesters were out on the streets of St. Louis on Wednesday night to honor Kenny “Kiwi” Herring, a Transgender Woman shot and killed by police on Tuesday. A Driver attempted to drive his car through the protesters, injuring three before police arrested him.
Candlelight vigil and protest march or Kerry 'Kiwi' Herring
As reported by Fox 2, a candlelight vigil had been held for Herring at the Transgender Memorial Garden in the city earlier on Wednesday, with around 100 people attending, before the protesters marched through the city.
Schron Jackson, a spokesperson for the St. Louis Police, said in a statement that while the Protest March was ongoing in St. Louis to honor Herring, a black Mercedes hit three protesters, injuring a man and two women who sustained minor injuries and required no medical treatment.
According to the police report, the driver of the Mercedes had stopped and sounded his horn before he attempted to drive around the protesters. However, several people then surrounded the car, slamming it with their hands and hitting the Mercedes with a flagpole. As the driver attempted to pull away, he hit the three victims who had attempted to jump on the vehicle, with one person ending up on the hood of the car.
Jackson said the driver had been taken into custody around a block away from the scene of the incident on a charge of felony fleeing.
A witness describes the scene in St. Louis
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch spoke to a witness, Keith Rose, who said the driver had stopped before gradually accelerating through the crowd who were protesting at the intersection of Sarah Street and Manchester Avenue. According to Rose, the driver pointed his middle finger at the protesters as he drove through them. Rose noted that other drivers had avoided the group by turning off into side streets.
After the incident, police closed the intersection and the protest march ended soon afterwards. Heather De Mian, who had attended the vigil, took a video of the incident.
Herring shot as police respond to stabbing incident
Herring was shot and killed by police officers who were responding to a stabbing in the city on Tuesday morning. Herring was identified as the attacker by a man who had suffered knife wounds to his arms, face, and torso. As police officers arrived at the scene, Herring was holding a knife and refused to drop the weapon. As they tried to arrest Herring she stabbed one of the officers in his arm, as well as a neighbor present at the incident, leading to the responding officers opening fire and shooting Herring, who died at the scene.
Herring’s partner, Kristy Thompson, was charged on Wednesday with armed criminal action and assault for stabbing a neighbor, who remains in a serious condition. According to family and friends, Herring, a transgender woman, and her partner felt threatened by their neighbors.