Reopen case of police shooting black man in wheelchair, protesters demand

Demonstrators are calling for justice for Jeremy McDole who was killed in Wilmington in 2015

The demonstrators chanted “Justice for Jeremy McDole” and “Shotgun Joe has got to go”

Dozens of people marched on Saturday in Wilmington to demand the reopening of the case in the 2015 fatal police shooting of a black man in a wheelchair.

The demonstration for Jeremy McDole moved through the city, making stops at Wilmington police headquarters and a state office building, the News Journal of Wilmington reported. The march was led by the man's sister.

Mr McDole, 28, was sitting in his wheelchair when he was shot and killed in September 2015 in Wilmington, after police received a 911 call about a man with a gun. A bystander's cellphone footage showed officers repeatedly telling Mr McDole to drop his weapon and raise his hands, with Mr McDole reaching for his waist before shots were fired.

A federal judge in 2017 approved the city's $1.5m (£1.19m) settlement with Mr McDole's family.

The protesters on Saturday shouted, “Justice for Jeremy McDole” and “Shotgun Joe has got to go”, referring to senior police corporal Joseph Dellose, who shot Mr McDole.

A report from Matt Denn's office, who was the attorney general at the time, concluded that Officer Dellose discharging his firearm created uncertainty among other responding officers who, not knowing where the gunfire came from, also opened fire on Mr McDole.

Mr Denn's office criticised Officer Dellose for “extraordinarily poor police work” and said that he should not carry a firearm.

None of the four officers who were involved in the shooting are still with the Wilmington Police Department.

AP