(ST. LOUIS, MO, 9/10/2022) – The Missouri chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Missouri) today called for “full transparency” and the release of body camera video of the shooting of a Muslim by St. Louis police on Wednesday.
Officers shot and killed 61-year-old Sudanese-American immigrant Bada Ali after he allegedly barricaded himself in an apartment Wednesday afternoon when police came to serve multiple felony warrants.
Law enforcement authorities say Ali charged at an officer with a knife, and the officer shot him. Some seven shots were fired by police. Nearby residents questioned the police escalation of the situation. Ali reportedly struggled with mental illness.
A representative of a local community organization told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “It just didn’t have to happen like this…He was afraid. All he saw was this SWAT team with big guns, thinking they were going to kill him and they did.”
All officers involved in the incident were wearing body cameras.
SEE: Police shoot and kill man during standoff in St. Louis’ West End neighborhood
“We urge law enforcement authorities to ensure full transparency during the investigation of this disturbing incident and to release the officers’ body camera video so that the community can assess whether all available measures were taken to prevent such a tragic outcome,” said CAIR-Missouri Board Chair Yasir Ali.
He noted that CAIR has responded to a number of past police shootings targeting American Muslims or members of other minority communities.
SEE: CAIR Welcomes Federal Charges for Current, Former Louisville Police Officers in Breonna Taylor’s Killing
CAIR-Ohio Condemns Police Killing of Jayland Walker, Calls for DOJ Civil Rights Probe, Police Policy Review
CAIR-MN, Community Partners to Respond to Fatal Police Shooting of Amir Locke
CAIR-Georgia Welcomes GBI Probe, Shares New Details After Police Shooting of Sudanese-American Muslim
CAIR Calls for ‘Immediate Action’ Against Wisconsin Officers Who Tased, Shot Unarmed Black Man Jacob Blake in Back, in Front of Children
CAIR, CAIR-Arizona Demand Criminal Probe, Firing of Officers Involved in 2017 Killing of Black Muslim Man
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR-Missouri Board Chair Yasir Ali, [email protected], 314-722-6116; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Coordinator Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, [email protected]