Students at Yale University are petitioning for the disarmament of campus police after officers shot and injured a woman who was a passenger in a vehicle police believed to have been connected to an attempted armed robbery, according to Campus Reform.

The shooting, which occurred near the campus, has sparked days of protests in the streets by some who believe the woman and the driver of the vehicle were unfairly targeted due to their race.

What does the petition say? "Armed campus police are a risk to the students they are sworn to protect and to the communities in which schools reside. There is an epidemic of police violence and police brutality in this country, and this shooting all too tragically shows that Yale is not immune to this issue. We will not allow the Yale Police Department to contribute to this epidemic by acting violently against members of the community that we have chosen from all over this country and the world."



Petitioners want campus police disarmed and for the university to donate to Black Lives Matter.

How did the shooting happen? On April 16, police got a report about an armed robbery attempt on a news delivery man at a gas station. A Hamden Police Officer and a Yale Police Officer stopped what they believed was the suspect's vehicle.



Police opened fire on the vehicle, reportedly in response to the driver, Paul Witherspoon, exiting abruptly. The passenger, Stephanie Washington, was hit and sustained injuries. The two involved officers have been placed on administrative leave.

See footage of the incident in the video below:

Shooting near Yale campus leads to almost a week of protests www.youtube.com

Multiple protests: Protesters have posted outside Yale University President Paul Salovey's house, and Black Lives Matter members have protested outside the Hartford Police Department hoping to speak with the chief or another high-ranking officer about their concerns.



Yale's statement: The University issued the following statement about this situation:

"Yale police officers are trained to interact with community members in a respectful and professional manner. Many of our officers are from the New Haven community, and all of them take great pride in how they engage with the community, both on and off duty….Yale is fully cooperating in the investigation [conducted by the Connecticut State Police and Attorney's Office], and we will share publicly whatever information we can as quickly as we can."