The family of a man who was shot and killed by an off-duty St. Louis County police officer says that the altercation followed an argument on Facebook about Black Lives Matter, the Chicago Tribune reports.
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Belmar said that before the officer could get to the front door, Gebhard went to the rear of the house, where he threw a 50-pound concrete planter through a window to enter the home. He was confronted inside by the officer, whose wife, mother-in-law and two young children hid in a back room and called 911, police say.
The officer’s family says the two recently had an argument about the growing unrest over police violence.
An uncle of Gebhard, Patrick Brogan, 57, of Waterloo, Illinois, told the Post-Dispatch that Gebhard and the officer had been arguing on Facebook about Black Lives Matter. (St. Louis County Police Department) Tyler Gebhard had made threats against the off-duty officer’s family on Facebook before the break-in, police said.
“He had a lot of mental problems the last few months”, Brogan said, adding that his nephew suffered from bi-polar disorder and was known to forget to take his medication; he had “A lot of difficulties in life”. “When he got there he was met with a gun and the guy killed him”.
The 21-year old suspect was rushed to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Tributes to the 20-year-old have already begun pouring in on Facebook, with many sharing their memories of the football star.
Police say the off-duty officer, who has not been named, was home when the deceased suspect rang the doorbell on Saturday evening. Gebhard reportedly tried to break into the home of the unidentified officer when the cop’s wife wouldn’t let him in Saturday evening. She refused entry to Gebhard, shut the door and joined the family at a back bedroom.
“I don’t think the officer had a choice – I honestly don’t”, Belmar said.
The incident comes amid broiling racial tensions following a pair of fatal police shootings of black men in Baton Rouge, La., and Falcon Heights, Minn., and the killings of five Dallas police officers during a Black Lives Matter protest over them.
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“We are sick for both families because it was senseless”, Brogan said.
