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March 17, 2010

University of Florida Students Protest Police Shooting of African Graduate Student
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In Florida, hundreds of students rallied at the University of Florida on
Tuesday over the shooting of an African graduate student by campus
police. The student, Kofi Adu-Brempong, has been hospitalized in
critical condition after he was shot in the face by an officer in a raid
on his home earlier this month. Police say they were called to the home
after neighbors reported the student to be visibly distraught. According
to police, Adu-Brempong tried to attack officers with a knife and a
metal rod. But supporters and family members have rejected the
allegations and say the rod was actually a walking cane used by
Abu-Brempong as a result of a childhood bout with polio. On Tuesday, a
crowd of over 300 students marched on the University of Florida’s Board
of Trustees.

UF Student Fernando Figueroa: “We’re demanding that all charges be
dropped against Kofi, because they’re trying to do, you know, kind of
something what’s called extortion. Like they’re saying, ‘Oh, we’ll drop
the charges if you don’t file a lawsuit.’ And so, we’re demanding that
all the charges be dropped and that more severe action be taken against
the offending officer, Keith Smith.”

The officer who shot Kofi Adu-Brempong has been identified as Keith
Smith. He has previously been reprimanded for an incident in which he
allegedly harassed and threw eggs at African Americans while off-duty.



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