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Outrage Ensues Over Cop Killing Of 16-Year-Old Girl

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Casey Harper Contributor
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The police killing of a 16-year-old Colorado girl has sparked anger and scrutiny of the details surrounding her death.

On Monday, Denver police fatally shot a teenage girl, identified by friends as Jessica Hernandez, after she allegedly tried to hit them with a stolen vehicle, the New York Daily News reports. One of the officers in question was treated for a leg injury and was released from the hospital.

Hernandez was reportedly sitting in the driver’s seat of a car with friends Monday morning. When police approached the vehicle, they say she tried to run them over. In response, two officer fired several shots, killing her.

Now, furious friends and family are calling for a special prosecutor as they protest the death. Angry residents at a recent protest wielded signs that read “Girls’ lives matter too,” “Justice for Jesse” and “Cowards shoot girls.” Other signs read “Stop police terrorism” and “Don’t shoot unarmed teens.”

“We’re angry about it,” Cynthia Valdez, a friend of the killed girl, told The Associated Press. “It’s another life taken by another cop.”

Five teens were in the car when police opened fire, the Denver Post reports. A mother of one of the girls in the vehicle said her daughter did not know the car was stolen.

“How can they shoot her when she doesn’t have a gun?” Hernandez’ father, Jose, told the Post.

Denver’s Independent monitor is evaluating the department’s policies on shooting at moving cars. The officers are on paid leave, and the incident is under investigation.

“We want justice,” her aunt Amparo Gonzalez, told the Post.

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Tags : colorado
Casey Harper