Family, friends and community members are still furious over the death of 22 year-old Michael Lembhard, who was shot and killed by police officers last month.

Lembhard was being pursued by police on the night of  March 7th, due to an outstanding warrant. He ran inside of his sister’s house. According to police, Lembhard grabbed a knife and allegedly lunged at the officers. In response, two of the officers fired their weapons.

Family members are skeptical of the official account of the incident, and believe Michael Lembhard did not have to die on March 7th. 

From the Times Herald-Record:

“Family members question both the knife allegation and the use of lethal force.

‘He was 120 pounds with rocks in his pockets,’ said Juanita King, Lembhard’s cousin. ‘Why did he have to be shot?’

Rally participants painted the community as teetering on the edge of violence.

‘There is a war against the black community,’ said Errol Maitland of WBAI-FM. ‘If they declare war on you, you have the right to respond with equal or greater force.'”

And the anger only intensified when New York Governor Andrew Cuomo denied requests for a special prosecutor to investigate the shooting of Michael Lembhard.

Community members are outraged.

“Roughly 80 family members and supporters gathered Saturday to protest what they see as the latest indignity: Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s denial for a special prosecutor.

‘Another one of our black youth has been slayed in Newburgh, and nobody has stepped up,’ said Loretta Manning of Community Voices Heard.”

Read the rest of this article at the Times Herald Record.

Check out a news report on the incident below:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNpo9Ngfokw

Were police justified in shooting Michael Lembhard?

Should a special prosecutor be brought in to investigate this incident?

Sound off below!