Protest planned asking for transparency in death of La’Mello Parker

Black Lives Matter Mississippi has organized a protest set to take place Saturday to ask for police accountability and transparency regarding the death of three-month-old La’Mello Parker.

They’re calling it the ‘He was our Child’ protest and it will take place Saturday evening.

This comes as the Biloxi Police Department announces it will not disclose the results of the forensic test on the bullet that struck Parker.

Biloxi is handling the investigation because other law enforcement agencies were involved.

The baby, La’Mello Parker, was killed May 3^rd near Biloxi after his father, Eric Derell Smith, led police on a chase from Louisiana to Mississippi. Smith was suspected of killing his ex-girlfriend and her nephew in Baker, Louisiana.

The Black Lives Matter Mississippi group wants to have public access to the officer’s body cam footage and for the individuals responsible for the infant’s death to be held accountable for their actions. BLM Mississippi President JoJo Virgil said, “It’s sad to say that when these moments happen, a lot of people want to call to show support, that’s totally fine. They want to come to give their care, invest their time, but honestly speaking, it’s a time to reach out to the masses and reach out to the people to let them know we need to install preventative measures to keep this from happening to anyone.”

The ‘He was our Child’ Protest will take place outside the Gulfport Police Department headquarters on 15th Street and will run from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.