Protestors demand names of Detroit police who fatally shot Porter Burks
Porter Burks shooting: Protestors demand officers' names
Protestors want to know the name of the five Detroit police officers who shot 20-year-old Porter Burks. The man was armed with a knife and in the midst of a mental health crisis when he was shot at 38 times because police say he charged officers.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Protestors gathered Monday outside the Detroit Police Headquarters, demanding that the department release the names of the officers who shot Porter Burks.
Burks, 20, was shot and killed early Oct. 2 after his family called 911 and reported that he was armed with a knife.
Police body camera footage showed officers talking to Burks before he began running toward them with the knife. Police said 38 shots were fired by five officers in three seconds.
MORE: Justice for Porter Burks march held demanding answers
"Every time, every time police officers shoot in our city we feel like the officers’ names need to be released. Who are the officers and where are the officers now?" said Charles E. Williams II, with the Michigan chapter of the National Action Network. "If our officers do not have the training to deal with folks suffering from mental illness they don’t need to be on the police force."
DPD Chief James White said officers asked Burks to drop the knife multiple times and told him they were there to help him. The body cam footage corroborates this. White said the officers opened fire because they feared for their lives with Burks began running toward them.
"The city of Detroit, the Detroit Police Department spent millions and millions of dollars on Tasers. So, the Tasers should be the first thing that these officers have their hand on when dealing with someone that's mentally challenged," said William Davis, with the Michigan chapter of the National Action Network
The five officers are currently on administrative leave pending an investigation. Meanwhile, Burks' family plans to sue the police department.