A march in memory of Mzee Mohammed, who died in police custody on Wednesday, will be held tomorrow.
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Mzee Mohammed, 18, became unwell at Liverpool One and was pronounced dead in hospital on Wednesday night.
His mother Karla said she wanted “a full transparent investigation” to take place.
“My son will not be a number or a statistic”.
The procession then continued to march to the sound of the crowd chanting: “Black Lives Matter, Mzee’s Life Mattered”.
Another demonstration was held in London the following day. Officers were called to the scene following unconfirmed reports that Mohammed had a knife and was behaving in an “aggressive and erratic manner”.
An ambulance was called, but he was pronounced dead at hospital.
But his family have disputed that version of events, releasing a five-minute video to the press which shows Mzee lying unconscious and bare-footed on the floor while still handcuffed.
His hands are behind his back, with handcuffs still clasped to his wrists, which has angered Mzee’s heartbroken family and others who have watched the clip.
“Seeing this has made us distraught”.
Police had been called to the city centre just after 6pm following reports of a man running into a house in the Toxteth area in a distressed state.
“Following enquiries the man has been identified as an 18-year-old black male from Liverpool”. “The IPCC should be seen to be cooperating and sympathetic with the family”, she said.
Members of the public told the Liverpool Echo that they saw Mohammed at the shopping centre, barefoot and with a 12-inch knife, where he reportedly threatened a group of teenage girls before stumbling over.
“Based on that video, we have no concerns about the treatment given to this patient at that time”, a spokesman for the Ambulance Service said.
An Independent Police Complaints Commission investigation is under way.
The shopping centre’s security staff detained Mohammed before the police arrived about 6.30pm.
He was in the custody of cops when he became unwell, Merseyside Police said.
Sister Melissa added: “The IPCC has seen this video, and we want a thorough investigation from them as to why my brother was treated like that”.
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Results of the initial postmortem were inconclusive and more tests, including toxicology checks, will be carried out.
