KDSN RADIO News
Pattie Ritchie with LULAC in Denison Speaks on the Officer-Involved Shooting Friday Night
(Iowa Public Radio) A protest rally was held in a Denison park on Sunday, the same park where a man was shot and killed by police on Friday night.
Pattie Ritchie was among the demonstrators, an activist with the League of United Latin American Citizens or LULAC in Denison.
Ritchie says the man who died was Cuban, homeless and battled mental health issues. So far, authorities aren’t releasing his name.
“It is a horrific event for everybody,” Ritchie says. “The police department is hurting. The Latino community and the community as a whole is hurting. This is not something that we wanted to happen or expected to happen.”
After the rally, more than 50 people marched to the police station, where Richie says they met with the police chief.
“There was a lot of mourning, a lot of crying, a lot of frustration,” Ritchie says. “His mother was FaceTimed in from Spain. She was appreciative. She was very thankful that somebody cared about her son.”
Ritchie says there are still many questions which she hopes will be answered after the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation concludes its investigation.
She says there aren’t enough local services to help people who are experiencing homeless or mental health crises.
(By Sheila Brummer, Iowa Public Radio)
