ST. LOUIS (AP) -- A racially mixed crowd of demonstrators locked arms and marched quietly through downtown St. Louis Monday morning to protest the acquittal of a white former police officer in the killing of a black suspect, following another night of unrest and more than 80 arrests.
The latest action follows three days of peaceful protests and three nights of violence in the city that has been rocked since Friday, when a judge announced he found Jason Stockley not guilty in the 2011 death of Anthony Lamar Smith.
Hundreds of riot police mobilized downtown late Sunday, arresting more than 80 people. The arrests came after demonstrators ignored orders to disperse, police said.
Earlier Sunday, more than 1,000 people had gathered at police headquarters then marched through downtown St. Louis, the posh Central West End, and the trendy Delmar Loop area of nearby University City. Protesters also marched through two shopping malls in a wealthy area of St. Louis County.
Soon afterward, buses brought in additional officers in riot gear, and police scoured downtown deep into the night, making arrests. Later, officers in riot gear gathered alongside a city boulevard chanting "whose street, our street" — a common refrain used by the protesters — after clearing the street of demonstrators and onlookers.
Mayor Lyda Krewson said at the same Monday news conference that "the days have been calm and the nights have been destructive."
The recent St. Louis protests follow a pattern seen since the August 2014 killing of Michael Brown in nearby Ferguson.
Many protesters believe police provoked demonstrators by showing up in riot gear and armored vehicles.
Stockley shot Smith after high-speed chase as officers tried to arrest Smith and his partner in a suspected drug deal. Stockley, 36, testified he felt endangered because he saw Smith holding a silver revolver when Smith backed his car toward the officers and sped away.
Prosecutors said Stockley planted a gun in Smith's car after the shooting. The officer's DNA was on the weapon but Smith's wasn't. Dashcam video from Stockley's cruiser recorded him saying he was "going to kill this (expletive)." Less than a minute later, he shot Smith five times.
Stockley left the police department and moved to Houston three years ago.