Protesters march in Rock Hill to advocate for release of teen charged with murder
Dozens of people marched in Rock Hill Friday evening to protest the arrest of a Rock Hill teenager who has been charged with murder.
Stop The Violence of Rock Hill and York County, a local group dedicated to promoting community safety, and Black Lives Matter marched from Fountain Park to the Rock Hill Police Department to protest the arrest of Ahmik Coleman.
Coleman, 17, was charged Wednesday as an adult with two counts of murder, according to arrest warrants, after a shooting left three teenagers dead on Gist Road. Coleman is jailed at Moss Justice Center in York. The investigation remains ongoing.
Maurice Sutter, the organizer for the march, said the protesters want Coleman released from jail because they believe he allegedly shot the victims in self-defense.
The crowd chanted “free Coleman!”
“If he didn’t have a gun, he’d be dead and we would be setting up funeral arrangements,” Sutter yelled to the crowd. Sutter said he put himself in Coleman’s shoes.
Sutter said the youth of Rock Hill need to come together.
“We’ve got to put the guns down,” Sutter said. “We’ve got to love each other.”
Sutter said Rock Hill city leaders should find ways to keep kids busy during the summer.
“We don’t want to see no more blood shed, no more tears,” he said. “These families are hurting.”
Sutter said he is trying to help raise money for a defense attorney for Coleman. A gofund.me campaign started Friday morning for that purpose, and donors paid more than $2,700 by Friday evening.
This story was originally published April 29, 2022 at 11:16 PM.
