williamchapmansmall

Eighteen year-old William Chapman was killed by Stephen Rankin, a Portsmouth, Va. police officer, on April 22nd. Chapman’s killing has been highlighted by the Guardian’s series, “The Counted“.

William Chapman was shot and killed after an encounter in a Walmart parking lot. Accused of shoplifting, Chapman was approached by Rankin, an officer that had previously been suspended from street patrol for three years after shooting an unarmed man. Rankin had also been disciplined for sharing Nazi images online.

Chapman’s death was overshadowed in the media by the death of Freddie Gray three days earlier. Chapman is one of three teens killed this year by police officers.

The lack of media coverage has weighed on the Chapman family. “I feel alone because my son is gone and because nobody is trying to help me understand why,” Sallie, William’s mother, told the Guardian.

Police have yet to give the family any reasoning for the death of William. Further, Walmart called the police to remove Sallie Chapman after she went to the store to demand to see the surveillance video.

The medical examiner has ruled Chapman’s death to be a homicide.

Read more at the Guardian.