More than 150 protesters marched through the University of Florida (UF) campus April 6 to demand changes in response to the March 2 shooting of a doctoral student by a campus police officer.
Kofi Adu-Brempong was shot in his face during a confrontation with a police officer in his on-campus apartment. Police have filed criminal charges against him, stating that he threatened officers during the incident.
Adu-Brempong is recovering from massive facial injuries and denies the police version of the events, according to the Gainesville Sun.
The group of protesters delivered a list of six demands to UF administrators, including a call for improvement of student mental health services, a demand for a grand jury investigation about the shooting and the elimination of the UF Police Department’s Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT). The team includes 11 officers authorized to use semiautomatic rifles in response to threats, such as active shooters, on campus. Additionally, each protester individually filed complaints about the shooting at university police headquarters.
UF officials have expressed interest in meeting with the protesters. As it stands, UF Police Chief Linda Stump said she supported the call for an improvement of student mental health services and would be open to an independent board reviewing her department.
Protesters also succeeded in arranging a meeting with UF Senior Vice President for administration Brian Beach to discuss demands. The president of the university, Bernie Machen has also said he wanted a meeting with group representatives.
Currently, the Florida Department of Law enforcement is investigating the case. The UF Police Department also plans to launch an internal investigation on the issue.
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