JOHANNESBURG—The fatal police shooting of a South African teenager has sparked protests and demands for changes to how law enforcement operates in the country, which has among the highest levels of violent crime in the world and a large number of killings by police each year. Nathaniel Julius, a 16-year-old boy with Down syndrome, was shot close to his home in a Johannesburg township Wednesday evening on his return from a nearby store, his mother and community members told South African media. One of Nathaniel’s friends, who said she was with him at the time of the shooting, told broadcaster ENCA that officers in a police van shouted at the boy. Nathaniel, appearing excited, then shouted back and approached the van, the friend said. The graphic descriptions of the shooting have seized the attention of many in a country that has become accustomed to high levels of violence, including by police.

Source: Wall Street Journal August 28, 2020 22:30 UTC