VANCOUVER, Wash. — Two groups of protesters gathered in Vancouver on Saturday night for a second day in a row since the shooting death of Kevin Peterson, a 21-year-old Black man who was reportedly armed when deputies killed him in nearby Hazel Dell.
Just before 10 p.m., freelance journalist Justin Yau posted video showing left-wing and right-wing protesters congregating across from each other on opposite sides of a street. Some of the protesters are shown arguing.
There were no immediate reports of violent clashes, but video appears to show a vehicle driving erratically and nearly hitting protesters.
Shortly after midnight, Yau reported that flags were torn down at the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab in Vancouver. He said right-wing protesters followed behind Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters as they marched through the city.
Protesters later arrived at Esther Short Park even though police announced via Twitter that the park was closed for the night. Video shows multiple patrol vehicles arriving at the scene.
Tensions among protesters have risen in southwest Washington since the fatal shooting of Peterson Jr. Thursday.
Clark County deputies shot and killed Peterson during a narcotics investigation off Highway 99 in Hazel Dell, according to the Southwest Washington Independent Investigate Response Team, who is leading the investigation into the shooting.
The SWIIRT said deputies suspected Peterson of selling drugs outside a motel when they approached him and he ran. At some point, he reportedly pulled out a gun and the deputies backed off.
Three Clark County deputies encountered Peterson a short time later and opened fire, SWIIRT said, adding that a pistol was found near Peterson's body. The sheriff's office said Peterson exchanged gunfire with deputies before he was killed, but SWIIRT has not confirmed this detail.
On Friday night, a crowd gathered for a candlelight vigil in honor of Peterson. The Columbian reports he was the father of a newborn daughter.
Armed counter-protesters were seen marching though the vigil, and there were some scuffles between the two groups and cars driving by reportedly throwing glass bottles at vigil-goers, according to journalists at the scene.
Many who attended the vigil gathered at Esther Short Park in Vancouver. The crowd quickly grew to about 300 people, Vancouver police said.
The group marched though downtown Vancouver and became more aggressive after congregating near the Clark County Jail. Police said some threw rocks at law enforcement officers, and there were reports of vandalism to downtown businesses, including broken windows and graffiti.
Police eventually got the crowd to spread out and said they arrested six protesters for failure to disperse.
Following these events, police closed Esther Short Park at 7 p.m. Saturday.
EDITOR'S NOTE: A previous version of this article mistakenly named the individual who was shot as Kevin Anderson Jr. This error has been corrected.
