Kwamena Ocran died Jan. 8 after being shot by at least one Gaithersburg officer
January 24, 2021 | 8:30 pm
January 25, 2021
More than 100 people gathered outside Gaithersburg City Hall on Sunday afternoon to protest the police killing of Kwamena Ocran.
Photos by Caitlynn Peetz
More than 100 people gathered outside Gaithersburg City Hall on Sunday to protest the recent killing of a Black man by city police.
At the event, speakers again questioned the Gaithersburg Police Department’s recounting of the Jan. 8 shooting that left 24-year-old Kwamena Ocran dead.
Police say four plain clothes officers, part of the department’s Street Crimes Unit, surveilled Ocran after receiving a report that he was armed with a handgun. When they approached him, he allegedly fled.
Police said Ocran was under surveillance by a plain clothes street crime unit when he was killed on Jan. 8, and that he ran from officers when they approached him.
“There’s going to be justice, because I will be Kwamena’s eyes, ears, mouth,” Ocran’s mother, Melody Cooper, said at the demonstration.
Gaithersburg Police Chief Mark Sroka said when officers approached Ocran and identified themselves, he ran across all six lanes of Frederick Avenue and into a nearby apartment complex.
Kwamena Ocran’s life mattered, RIP pic.twitter.com/omqZLjZZYU Silver Spring Justice Coalition (@SilverCoalition) January 22, 2021
Ocran displayed a gun and was shot, police said. A gun was recovered at the scene, police said.
State Roundup:Minorities found to receive vaccine at lower rates; Mike Miller eulogized; Andy Harris investigated about gun in Capitol
Among the visitors for the viewing of former Senate President Mike Miller was U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, here talking with current Senate President Bill Ferguson and House of Delegates Speaker Adrienne Jones, Governor s Office photo
RACIAL DISPARITIES IN VACCINATIONS: As Maryland health officials scramble to meet growing demand for the coronavirus vaccine, a red flag is emerging: Minorities, who’ve been hit hardest by the disease, have received shots at disproportionately low rates, Alex Mann, Hallie Miller and Meredith Cohn of the Sun report.
Cities of Gaithersburg and Rockville Join in National COVID Memorial
The cities of Gaithersburg and Rockville are joining in a memorial Tuesday to remember and honor lives lost to COVID-19 by illuminating their City Halls starting at 5:30 p.m.
The memorial is organized by the Presidential Inauguration Committee (PIC) that is encouraging cities and towns to join Washington, D.C. in illuminating buildings in amber light as a symbol of unity and remembrance. A Washington, D.C. ceremony will feature lighting around the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
The ceremony may be watched below:
The ceremony in D.C. will be streamed BidenInaugural.org/watch and PIC’s
[inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] here are the best-selling nonfiction books according to the new york times. hello everybody, and welcome to the third annual gaithersburg book festival. my name is joe well and, and i m a member of the book festival committee. gaithersburg is a vibrant, diverse city that celebrates its arts. we are pleased to bring you this event free of charge tank as to the generous support of our sponsors. a couple of quick announcements for the consideration of everybody. please silence any devices that make any kind of noise, and in order to improve this event we need your feedback. surveys are available here at the information booth and on line at our web site. please take a couple of minutes to fill out the survey. you also enter yourself in a drawing by doing that. just a very quick sideline, the woman who was working on putting authors in hotel rooms and things like that who didn t have all the names of the books in front of he