Dozens of people were arrested this week for rioting and looting in St. Louis during demonstrations that started as protests of the police killing of George Floyd — and all of them have been released, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt criticized the release of 36 people who were arrested.
“In a stunning development, our office has learned that every single one of the St. Louis looters and rioters arrested were released back onto the streets by local prosecutor Kim Gardner,” Schmitt tweeted.
From the Post-Dispatch:
Two were released after being issued a summons, eight were released after prosecutors refused to immediately file charges and the remainder were released while police apply for charges, the spokeswoman, Michelle Woodling, said in an email.
Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner’s spokeswoman, Allison Hawk, said in an email that police only sought charges in “a few” cases of stealing during looting, and prosecutors refused charges because they wanted more investigation. “In an effort to hold the offenders accountable, we need essential evidence from the police. These matters remain under investigation,” she wrote.
The suspects were arrested on suspicion of trespassing, burglary, causing property damage, stealing, and assault. They ranged in age from 17 to 36 but the majority of them were teens and people in their 20s.
Four police officers were shot Tuesday morning during the riots in St. Louis. All four of them survived. St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden said someone “randomly shot at the police line.”
David Dorn, a 77-year-old retired St. Louis police captain, was shot and killed Tuesday morning outside a pawn shop. Dorn, who served as a volunteer Police Chief for Moline Acres, Missouri, was friends with the owner and went to check on the business when the alarm went off.
Footage of the shooting was broadcast on Facebook live, but has since been removed. Images of Dorn’s body on the sidewalk was widely distributed on social media. No arrest has been made in the killing, and there are no suspects.