TUPELO, MISS–Hundreds marched on the city of Tupelo Saturday after the June shooting death of Antwun “Ronnie” Shumpert, announced Mayor Jason Shelton. The announcement was made via Facebook.
As anticipated, a couple hundred supporters of the Our Lives Matter 2 group conducted a peaceful march through downtown and assembled at Fairpark for about an hour today. The group is to be commended for staying true to their word and exercising their First Amendment rights in a peaceful manner. The demonstrators have now dispersed and Downtown Tupelo is open for business and back-to-school shopping during this tax-free weekend.
Following the event, Mayor Shelton held a press conference on the event using Facebook live:
Shelton said there was one injury during the event, but was not related to any fight.
“There was an intense moment between counter-protestors,” said Shelton. “Our law enforcement officers were able to maintain control.”
A brief fistfight took place, but it was not between members of the permitted protesting group.
The protests were sparked by the police-shooting death of Shumpert in June.
Mayor Shelton said that the city should be making efforts to unite, and because of that, the City of Tupelo flag was the only one to fly during the protest, but the Mississippi flag has been raised again at city hall.
News Mississippi will keep you updated.
