A traffic stop in Tupelo, Mississippi, turned deadly for an unarmed Black man – and now his family is demanding answers.

Antwun Shumpert was pulled over by Tupelo Police on June 18th. Officers say that before they approached the vehicle, Shumpert allegedly got out and ran.

Carlos Moore, attorney for the Shumpert family, reports that eyewitnesses say the unarmed 37-year-old attempted to surrender. Shortly after, they heard four gunshots.

The Mayor of Tupelo, Jason Shelton, claimed the traffic stop and use of deadly force was justified.

Carlos Moore spoke with Roland Martin during Tuesday’s edition of NewsOne Now about the police shooting death of Shumpert.

Moore told Martin that Shumpert was pulled over for a routine traffic stop while driving his friend’s vehicle. Moore continued, “The friend’s license plate would have been checked and the car would have come back to Charles Foster, not ‘Ronnie’ Shumpert.”

“They were chasing a man they had no idea who he was in the middle of the dark and they shot him four times and sicced a vicious dog on him, ripping his flesh,” said Moore.

The attorney also said interviews are being conducted with witnesses. He plans on securing affidavits of their testimony.

The events leading up to this disturbing police-involved shooting leads to more questions regarding the actions of Tupelo officers and what an African-American man should do if stopped by cops.

NewsOne Now panelist A. Scott Bolden reminded viewers “it is not illegal to run,” whether you have a reason to or not. He added though it is not illegal to run, “you should never” flee from law enforcement. “But if you do run, it shouldn’t cost you your life.”

Bolden stated: “Ever since Tennessee V. Garner – U.S. Supreme Court decision, [it is] illegal to shoot a non-violent fleeing felon.”

“That is the Tupelo case right here, right now in 2016,” Bolden said.

Watch Roland Martin, attorney Carlos Moore, and the NewsOne Now panel discuss the police shooting of Antwun Shumpert in the video clip above.

Watch NewsOne Now with Roland Martin, in its new time slot on TV One.

Subscribe to the NewsOne Now Audio Podcast on iTunes.

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty

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