Union representing black officers urges officer’s conviction

ST. LOUIS – A police union that primarily represents black officers in St. Louis is calling for the conviction of a white former officer accused of killing a black suspect.

The Ethical Society of Police said in a statement Tuesday that its board believes evidence in the case against Jason Stockley warrants a conviction. But the organization also says it does not condone violence if Stockley is acquitted.

Stockley’s trial ended last month, but Judge Timothy Wilson has yet to rule. Activists have threatened civil disobedience that could include shutting down highways, airports or businesses if Stockley is acquitted in the 2011 death of Anthony Lamar Smith.

The case has reignited racial tensions in a region still healing from the 2014 fatal police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.