Jurors in a St. Louis courtroom were shown a series of racist social media posts by a city police officer on Wednesday, including one that used the phrase “ghetto cockroach,” as they weigh whether two officers unlawfully chased and shot at a Black 14-year-old during a 2016 foot pursuit. Prosecutors say the posts have become a central piece of evidence that could shape how the panel views the officers’ credibility and their conduct that morning.
Evidence Focuses On Officer's Online Comments
Prosecutors introduced screenshots and printouts of the officer's public and private posts and argued they reveal a hostile attitude toward Black residents, according to STLtoday. Defense attorneys countered that the posts amount to personal commentary and do not prove what happened on the street during the chase, the outlet reported.
The shooting itself took place on Oct. 2, 2016, in the Walnut Park neighborhood while officers were searching for a stolen car, and police said the 14-year-old fired at officers before they returned fire and struck him. Then-Chief Sam Dotson told reporters at the time that officers did not have body camera or dash cam footage of the incident, which fueled skepticism in the neighborhood, as detailed by St. Louis Public Radio.
This week, the legal fight has centered less on ballistics or forensic diagrams and more on whether the officer's online language shows a mindset that bears on his credibility and motive. Prosecutors told jurors the posts are relevant to assessing whether the officers' use of force was lawful, while defense lawyers urged jurors to separate off-duty speech from on-duty decision-making, per STLtoday.
Residents of Walnut Park say the news of the posts being aired in court has reopened long-standing questions about policing patterns in predominantly Black parts of the city. Calls for transparency and wider adoption of body cameras have been ongoing since the 2016 shooting, and community leaders say the trial is another test of whether the city will confront those concerns.
What Jurors Must Decide
Jurors must decide whether the officers' actions that morning met the legal standard for reasonable force or whether evidence of bias and an unreasonable pursuit makes the use of force unlawful. A finding that the conduct was unlawful could lead to criminal or civil consequences and would likely deepen debates about training, oversight, and how social media evidence is handled in cases involving police officers.
The trial is continuing in St. Louis this week. Testimony at the courthouse is expected to unfold over the next several days as attorneys dissect old posts, old memories, and new legal questions.
