Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, April 24, 1990 TAG: 9004240120
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: BRISTOL LENGTH: Medium
Residents of the low-income housing project and a City Council candidate said Chief Tom Stone used an excessive show of force that added to racial tensions at the scene.
Spangler said the incident "should not be labeled as anything like an altercation or a riot. It was a couple, three kids throwing bottles and rocks and a bunch of people in the area gathering to try to find out what was going on."
Walter G. Brown, 17, was stabbed about 7 p.m. Sunday at the Johnson Court apartment complex. Brown, the starting fullback at Bristol High School, died early Monday at the regional medical center.
Steve Witt, 29, like Brown a resident of Johnson Court, was arrested shortly after the stabbing and charged with murder, Stone said. He was being held in the city jail in lieu of $100,000 bond.
The stabbing occurred at Witt's apartment where Witt and Brown had had a fist fight, said Sgt. Sam McVey. Stone said police were unsure of the reason for the fight.
Following the stabbing, a group of angry black residents of the racially mixed complex threw rocks and bottles at police vehicles that converged, Stone said.
About 12:30 a.m., more than an hour after the gathering broke up, two white men allegedly drove by the apartments and fired shots from rifles, Stone said. No one was injured.
Chad Freeman, 18, and John Dunn, 21, were chased by police, captured and charged with attempting to incite a riot, Stone said.
Renee Bunche, who identified herself as a friend of Brown's, said, "If this had happened between two white people, it wouldn't have been any big deal. We were concerned about our friend. You can't blame a black person for being concerned about another black person. Why did they need to call the state police in?"
Jamie Coleman, a Bristol City Council candidate and a resident of Johnson Court, said the number of police angered the crowd more.
Spangler defended the Police Department's handling of the situation because it appeared the gathering "might get ugly" and the city has a relatively small number of officers.
About 10:30 p.m., a group of about 100 people marched toward police while singing "We Shall Overcome."
The group stopped when it drew close to a wall of officers, and after a lengthy, often-heated exchange with authorities, the gathering broke up about 11:15 p.m.
by CNB