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Death of black teen sparks protests in UK

Chants of “Justice for Mzee” dominated a Black Lives Matters protest in Liverpool city centre on Sunday, July 17, 2016.

Hundreds of protesters have held a rally in Liverpool, England, following the death of a black teenager while he was in the custody of police in Merseyside County.

About 300 protesters marched on Sunday from the city’s main train station to the 'Liverpool One' shopping centre, where Mzee Mohammed was detained on Wednesday.

The protest was held as part of the Black Lives Matter movement, which has been rapidly spreading across the US and UK following the killing of two African-American men by US police.

Chants of “Black Lives Matter, Mzee’s Life Mattered” were shouted out as the rally  through the city centre.

Mohammed, 18, was detained at the Liverpool shopping centre following unconfirmed reports that he was carrying a knife and acting in an “aggressive and erratic manner.”

Police said he suffered a medical episode while in custody at the scene bit didn't elaborate on the exact cause of his death.

The teenager’s mother has criticized the police handling of her son and disputed their version of events.

At the protest she told the crowds: “I want to ask the Lord to see justice for my son.” She added: “My son will not be a number or a statistic. His death will not be in vain.”

“I would not wish this on my worst enemy. You can’t take the memories, the pictures … my son was not an animal, he was a human being.”

Mohamed is due to be buried in Jamaica.

In the US, police killings of black people during the past month have renewed protests against racial bias in law enforcement.

On July 5, 2016, Alton Sterling was shot several times and killed by a white officer in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. One day after Sterling’s death, Philando Castile was fatally shot by police in his car in Falcon Heights, Minnesota.


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