ST. LOUIS (AP) - Relatives of a man who was killed after climbing between two trailers of a FedEx truck during an interstate protest near downtown St. Louis are criticizing the delivery company and police.
The Witherspoon Law Group said Wednesday night in a statement that 29-year-old Barry Perkins III, of St. Louis, was peacefully protesting the death of George Floyd and was not looting Saturday when he was dragged two blocks.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the driver had been rerouted from Interstate 44, which was shut down by protests. He stopped again because of another gathering of protesters, according to police. Several people then went into the truck's first trailer and began removing items before the driver took off.
But the family's statement disputes accounts that guns were pointed at the driver. The statement said people were pleading for the driver to stop dragging Perkins, a father of two who was recently promoted to a manager at his job.
"The entire Nation was aware of protests demanding justice for the death of Mr. Floyd," the statement said. "There is no justification for running over a human being with a semi-truck."
FedEx said in a statement that it was "deeply saddened" to learn about what had happened, KTVI reported.
"We offer our sincerest condolences to the family of the individual involved," the statement said. "There is no higher priority for FedEx than safety, and we are cooperating fully with the investigating authorities at this time."