VANCOUVER, Wash. — A group of more than 100 people gathered outside a U.S. Bank in Vancouver Sunday for a vigil and march for Kevin Peterson Jr., a Black man who was shot and killed by Clark County deputies in October in the banks parking lot.
Peterson was killed by deputies during a drug task force operation. The case is slowly being pieced together for the public through documents.
An independent investigation found that Peterson had agreed to meet an undercover Clark County Sheriff’s deputy to sell Xanax. When officers went to arrest Peterson, he ran. Peterson was carrying a gun and was reported to have pointed it at officers. The independent investigation has found that Peterson did not fire his gun during the incident. An investigation is ongoing.
There have been protests and vigils in Vancouver since Peterson’s death.
On Sunday, demonstrators gathered around 1 p.m. in the U.S. bank parking lot. After several speeches, the group began to march, according to Alex Zielinski of the Portland Mercury.
The crowd marched for an hour before stopping for more speeches, according to independent journalist Justin Yau. The group then marched back through Hazel Dell to the U.S. Bank parking lot where Peterson was killed. There were more speeches, closing statements and live music, Yau tweeted.