Police: False rumor sparked Cincinnati riot

The Associated Press - (Published May 5, 2004)

Nobody was injured and officers did not return fire, authorities said.

The crowd gathered Monday night after word spread that officers had shot 19-year-old Antwand Yett. In fact, Yett committed suicide in his vehicle after police pulled him over, Police Chief Thomas Streicher said.

"It's unfortunate that the rumor spread," Streicher said. "I think it's only natural ... when words spread that there's a person in a truck and they've been shot in the head, you're going to draw a crowd."

At least 19 black men have died in confrontations with Cincinnati officers since 1995. Police union leaders said the men who died had threatened officers with weapons and in one case beat an officer. The shooting of a fleeing, unarmed black man by a white police officer in 2001 set off three days of rioting.

On Tuesday, authorities released a police car videotape of the traffic stop. On the tape, a muffled noise was heard from Yett's sport utility vehicle before two officers approached the vehicle and found him slumped over.

Yett was pronounced dead at the scene.

The same videotape showed police taking cover behind the SUV as five or six shots were fired in their direction. The tape showed several officers removing their guns from their holsters, but none returned fire.

Two television news trucks were damaged in the disturbance. One was set on fire and the windshield of the other was smashed by a rock. Police said Wednesday that no arrests had been made.