Saturday marks one year since the officer-involved shooting death of Lamar Richardson.
The incident sparked outrage, mostly fueled by false information circulated social media. Some posts claimed an unarmed teenager was shot in back. People soon flocked to Lagrange and Hudson, yelling at officers and pushing against tape barriers.
"When I first arrived on the scene, there was so much chaos. I didn't know because folks were angry,” President of Toledo Buffalo Soldiers Earl Mack said.
Mack was one of several community leaders who came to the area to help try and calm things down. Tensions began to ease as information was released. The person shot wasn’t a teenager, but 25-year-old Lamar Richardson.
Because of the public outrage, dash cam video of the shooting was released that night, showing Richardson fleeing police, and eventually reaching for a firearm.
"I use this day as an example of how you can preserve lives and that you can put the needs of the community on the front lines,” Officer Angel Tucker said. "If you show up trying to show force, force will be pushed back, especially when the information isn't out there."
Tucker teaches a class designed to help first responders learn what they can do to effectively communicate with people in situations like the Lamar Richardson shooting. When he watched events unfold on July 27 of last year, he noticed those tactical communication skills in use by Toledo Police Chief George Kral, and was happy the situation didn’t escalate to a boiling point.
Mack said he believes misinformation through social media caused increased anger and frustration.
“Don’t let social media guide your information on what happened,” Mack said. “I ask them in this situation to stand back and look at what actually happened. A lot of the emotions was not even about what's happening in Toledo, it was what was happening in other cities.”
Tucker and Mack both recognize a life was lost, but they believe this incident can help in moving forward to improve relationships between police and Toledoans.