April 13, 2001
(CINCINNATI) – A curfew in Cincinnati continues today following three nights of violence sparked by the police shooting of a young unarmed black teenager.
Starting Thursday night, residents were barred from the streets except for emergencies or travel to and from work from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Overnight, the city was calm, although 28 people were arrested for curfew violations.
Timothy Thomas was shot Saturday by a white police officer who said he thought the 19-year-old was reaching for a gun. Thomas, who proved to be unarmed, had a record of traffic violations and two minor offenses but no serious charges. The shooting remains under investigation.
Earlier this week, protests against police use of force turned ugly, with young men breaking windows, setting fires, assaulting white drivers and looting stores. A police officer escaped unharmed Wednesday night when a shot struck his bullet-proof vest.
On Thursday, Kweisi Mfume, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, held a public forum attended by hundreds of people. Mfume, while calling on Cincinnati residents to remain calm, said that the city should empanel a grand jury to investigate Thomas’s death.