Several Recent Protests And Riots Sparked By Deaths Of Armed Suspects

Several recent protests and riots across the United States have been sparked by the deaths of armed — rather than unarmed — suspects.

Shootings of armed suspects by police officers in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Lancaster, Pennsylvania, have sparked demonstrations — with some turning into riots — within the last month. One riot in Minneapolis was sparked by the death of an armed suspect who committed suicide.

The most recent example of this trend came in Lancaster, after a police officer fatally shot Ricardo Munoz, who was charging at the officer with a knife on Sunday, body camera footage shows.

The footage shows the officer initially retreating from Munoz, before opening fire as the suspect continued running at the officer, wielding a large blade above his head.

Lancaster police officers made eight arrests early Monday morning as rioters set fires and vandalized businesses and government buildings, according to a police statement.

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