Police Chief Andre Williams
[From article]
The mayor of Chester – a city already reeling from gang violence after the killing of a City Councilman last month – said Tuesday she still supports Police Chief Andre Williams after the father of twin high school scholar-athletes who were handcuffed during a traffic stop called for the chief to be fired.
Odell Williams, 69, a city councilman and former Chester police officer, was gunned down Nov. 4 in what police say was a slaying by five alleged gang members, who are black. Sheriff Underwood said that gang members made death threats against him, his officers and their families during the investigation.
[. . .]
The father of black scholar-athlete twins is calling for the firing of Chester Police Chief Andre Williams after the chief pulled over his sons, and officers drew guns on and handcuffed the teens during a traffic stop on known gang turf.
It’s the first skirmish in Chester County’s police war on gangs that has boiled over since the Nov. 4 drive-by shooting death of City Councilman Odell Williams. Five alleged gang members were charged in connection with the shooting.
The incident comes amid national protests and concerns about how police deal with black men.
[. . .]
What is clear is that Chief Williams, who is black, pulled over Cardan Williams, 16, who was driving with his brother Caymen, 16, at about 8:20 p.m. Nov. 21. [. . .] What is in dispute is the manners Chief Williams and other officers used during the stop in a Chester neighborhood known to police as “E-block” gang territory.
The police chief said he saw the car Cardan Williams was driving pull out in front of another driver in an unsafe manner, and that when he turned on his blue lights and tried to pull him over, the teen did not stop for more than a half-mile. Failure to stop for blue lights is a felony in South Carolina.
[. . .]
Police are employing even more safety measures in the streets, concerned for their own and others’ safety after gang members made death threats against officers following the shooting of Odell Williams, who was himself a retired police officer.
“In a felony traffic stop, we do have guns out,” Williams said. “In light of this neighborhood and what has been happening with gangs, I am not going to put myself and my guys in danger.”
http://www.heraldonline.com/2014/12/08/6604419_chester-father-calls-for-firing.html?sp=/100/104/109/129/&rh=1
Chester father calls for firing of police chief after guns pulled on sons
BY ANDREW DYS
adys (at) heraldonline.com
December 8, 2014
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