Family honors 17-year-old killed, awaits answers from police
ST. LOUIS – The family and friends of 17-year-old Emeshuon Wilkins held a balloon release Friday evening to honor his memory while awaiting answers from police after he was shot and killed by an officer Tuesday.
According to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, officers with the Anti-Crime Task Force attempted to stop a stolen car near Whittier Street and Maffitt Avenue. After spiking the vehicle, the suspects abandoned it and fled on foot.
During the pursuit, police say Wilkins pointed a gun at an officer. The officer then fired his gun, shooting and killing Wilkins.
Loved ones say they are frustrated over the entire incident, claiming that they haven’t gotten answers from authorities.
“They haven’t shown us anything—no reports, nothing. We haven’t seen the body,” Bernice Wilkins, Emeshuon’s great-grandmother, said.
SLMPD’s Bureau of Professional Standards confirmed that the officer involved, a 16-year veteran, was wearing a body camera. The footage will be reviewed to determine whether Wilkins fired his weapon before being shot.
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Family members stated police handcuffed Wilkins after he was shot. Friday night, as the balloons rose, so did the hopes of the Wilkins family for answers. The family remembers Emeshuon as a nice man.
“He was nice, respectful, gentle, loving, caring, amazing. Always smiling,” Tiffany Jenkins, Emeshuon’s grandmother, said.
FOX 2 reached out to SLMPD for comment on the incident and they responded, “The loss of any life is tragic and can affect not only those closest to the incident, but their families, friends, loved ones and our entire community. Deadly force is to be employed only in the most extreme circumstances and when all lesser means of force have failed or could not be reasonably employed.”
The SLMPD Force Investigation Unit is conducting a full investigation, with findings to be reviewed by the Circuit Attorney’s office.
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