Darren Seals, an outspoken activist who gained recognition for organizing and protesting in Ferguson in the wake of the police shooting death of Michael Brown, has been killed.
Information about Seals’ tragic death is still scarce, but The St. Louis County Police Department says its Bureau of Crimes Against Persons was called in at around 1:00am Tuesday morning with reports of a burning car in Riverview, a city 10 miles from St. Louis. The Bureau’s Bomb and Arson Unit arrived on scene and extinguished the blaze only to find Seals’ charred body inside along with a gunshot wound. Police are investigating Seals’ death as a homicide.
A 29-year-old factory worker and musician, Seals rose to prominence when he live-tweeted the aftermath of Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson shooting and killing Michael Brown in 2014. Seals lived nearby and reportedly witnessed Brown’s dead body lying on the street. Seals would later become a vocal and persistence activist, leading protests in Ferguson after a grand jury failed to indict Wilson for Brown’s death.
Seals remained active on social media until his death, most recently tweeting out his support for Colin Kaepernick’s stance on the National Anthem. He also reportedly uploaded a Facebook Live video about his own contentious dealings with the Ferguson Police Department, alleging that officers drew guns on him and his younger brother and warned him to “choose [his] enemies wisely.”
St. Louis County Police is urging anyone with information regarding Seals’ death to come forward.
(via St. Louis American)
