On Wednesday, a car drove through a crowd of protesters on the streets of The Grove in St. Louis as they participated in a vigil for the death of a transgender woman.
While there were only minor injuries, the driver is still on the loose.
On Tuesday, authorities responded to a call about a stabbing, discovering a victim who had been stabbed several times. As police attempted arresting Kenny “Kiwi” Herring, she allegedly slashed an officer’s arm, who retaliated by shooting her.
Related: WATCH: Shoppers passionately defend transgender woman in “What Would You Do?”
Herring died at the scene. She leaves behind a wife and three children.
Kiwi Herring, a Black trans woman, was killed by police today in St. Louis. Rest in power and glory, sister. 💔#SayHerName #KiwiHerring
Posted by No Justice No Pride on Tuesday, August 22, 2017
There were roughly 100 people at Wednesday’s candlelight vigil, with several staging a protest down the street.
Many friends dispute that Herring was armed, saying cops kept misgendering her and rushed to judgement.
“That can’t be true what they’re saying,” Herring’s nephew Nicholas Herring told The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “Kenny was just kind, caring and hilarious.”
“Some people hated them because of their lifestyle,” says Krystle Purnell, who was a close friend and classmate. “But Kenny was always Kenny, no matter what anyone thought.”
Brooke Jones, another friend of Herring, says neighbors would “talk their little talk but, at the end of the day, [Herring] heard it so many times she didn’t let it faze her.”
Herring was apparently excited Monday evening about a barbecue she was throwing with friends.
“If you needed anything from Kiwi, she would give it to you,” Jones says. “She’d see my kids outside playing and she’d hand out popsicles, have barbecues, all that.”
The two officers involved in her death have been put on administrative leave until an internal investigation is completed.
Ummmm Yeah
The video clearly shows them attacking the car before the drive drove away to protect himself. Oh and don’t stab people.
JaredMacBride
Especially cops who’ve come to arrest you. It won’t end well.
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
Wait a damn minute the death and the antics of SOME of this rabble are two separate things. Climb all over my fücking car scratching my paintwork with your tacky heels meanacing me and you’ll be lucky to escape with self-inflicted bump on your head from effects of gravity and idiocy
AlexM
so because she was misgendered by the police she couldn’t have stabbed the officer? one has nothing to do with the other.. furthermore, she was a suspect for stabbing another individual then she proceeded to stab the officer when the attempted to cuff her. The officer didn’t get slashed by an imaginary person. all this evidence points to her being guilty and they want to hold a vigil simply because she’s black and trans? This is why people don’t take Liberals seriously.
Ummmm Yeah
That’s why so many of us have left liberalism and the democratic party. They have both been taken over by extremists with very low IQ’s.
Paco
Cops should not be judge, jury and executioner. Lethal force should only be used in the most extreme circumstances and even then, they should shoot to subdue. Not kill.
Xzamilloh
Somebody coming at you with a knife after they just stabbed someone else isn’t extreme? I’m sorry, but not every situation is the same and some people aren’t going to be subdued. Philando Castille is one of the biggest injustices I’ve seen, right up there with Walter Scott. But this one? I see it as justified.
mhoffman953
@Paco
You’re nuts. This guy stabbed his neighbor then when police came, he stabbed a cop with a knife. The police had every right to retaliate and kill this whacko.
Then crazies want to hold a vigil for someone who tried killing their neighbor and tried killing police. What is going on anymore?
I saw the video of the guy who drove through the protesters. They surrounded his car and began hitting his car and tried opening the car doors to pull him out and do who knows what to him. He had every right to drive through these people
Danny595
Not sure what this story has to do with gay people, but since it is here, I’ll say that:
1) No one should be holding vigils for people who injure police officers. They should be holding a vigil for the injured officer.
2) You don’t block traffic or mob cars.
GayEGO
A very confusing story. Regardless, police officers deserve respect and should not be treated with violence and disrespect.
Bob LaBlah
A police officer does not ask you to drop a weapon. A police officer ORDERS you to drop your weapon and like it or not you MUST comply. I stand with the officer in this case. Wildly slashing a knife while knowing numerous police officers are around you sounds to me like you are asking for a suicide-by-cop death.
Bob LaBlah
Feel free to moderate my comment all you want but in the end the truth will still be just that, the truth. There is more to this story than is being told. The person Herring stabbed was his spouse, another trans person. Police had been to that house numerous times as well for domestic violence.