Activists from around the country gathered in front of the Montgomery County Board of Elections Office Thursday to call on local leaders to reopen the prosecution of Gaithersburg police officers who fatally shot Kwamena Ocran in 2021.
Alongside community members, activists at the event included Melody Cooper — Ocran’s mother — George Floyd’s uncle, the father of Ahmaud Arbery and a member of the Emmett Till family.
“We’re bringing attention to the politicians to have my son’s case reopened,” Cooper said.
A Maryland grand jury declined to charge the four plain clothes officers in October 2021, who said the 24-year-old man fired first during a late-night foot chase.
Officers said they identified themselves as police officers before Ocran ran across six lanes of traffic on Route 355 to Chelsea Park Apartments, where he displayed a handgun. All four officers fired, hitting Ocran eight times, according to a 12-page report released by prosecutors.
Prosecutors said they found no physical evidence Ocran fired the gun. Crime scene technicians recovered 23 ammunition casings linked to the officers’ guns, the report said.
Because the officers were undercover, they were not wearing body cameras, according to the report. Thursday’s demonstration called for increased police accountability and transparency.
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