ST. LOUIS (AP) - Three people suffered minor injuries when a car pulled into a group of demonstrators protesting a police shooting in St. Louis.
Police and witnesses offered differing accounts of what happened Wednesday night during a candlelight vigil and protest in honor of Kenny "Kiwi" Herring, who was fatally shot by officers Tuesday after allegedly stabbing one of them. Relatives and friends have said Herring was a transgender woman.
The vigil began at a community garden that honors transgender people. Activist Heather De Mian said Thursday that after the vigil, 40-50 people marched to an intersection and blocked it to protest Herring's death.
Police spokeswoman Schron Jackson said in a news release Thursday a car driven by a man pulled up, stopped, honked and attempted to drive around the protesters before some of them surrounded the car and began hitting it with their hands and a flag pole.
The injured protesters - two women and a man - had jumped onto the car and fell off when the driver pulled away, Jackson said. None of the injured requested treatment.
De Mian, who uses a wheelchair, was shooting video of the protest. She gave a different account.
"I looked up and saw the car pushing through protesters," De Mian said. "I could see this car was being aggressive so other protesters were running up to try to stop it."
The car drove away but was stopped by police about a block from where the protesters were struck.
Jackson said the driver is under investigation for felony fleeing. It wasn't clear if charges were filed. Messages left Thursday with a spokeswoman for the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's office were not immediately returned.
Police were initially called to Herring's apartment building because a stabbing was reported. In a probable cause statement, Detective Jamie Simpher said a fire broke out around 2 a.m. Tuesday on the balcony above Herring's apartment. He said Herring and her partner, Kristy Lynn Thompson, went upstairs and accused the man living there of starting the fire.
Simpher said as the argument turned physical, Thompson handed Herring a butcher knife and Herring stabbed the neighbor, who finally managed to push the two out the door and lock it.
The neighbor was hospitalized with a collapsed lung and cuts to his face, hand and body, Simpher wrote.
Thompson was charged with assault and armed criminal action and does not yet have an attorney.