St. Petersburg Riots

People

TyRon Lewis

Outcome

unknown

On the afternoon of October 24, 1996, **TyRon Mark Lewis**, an 18-year-old Black man, was shot and killed by white St. Petersburg Police Officer **James Knight** during a traffic stop in the Midtown neighborhood. The fatal shooting—and the subsequent grand jury decision clearing the officers—ignited two waves of civil unrest that caused an estimated **$5 million in property damage** and exposed deep-seated tensions between the city's Black community and law enforcement. At approximately 5:30 PM, Officers **James Knight** and **Sandra Minor** observed a gold Pontiac LeMans speeding on 18th Avenue South. Knight activated the patrol car's emergency lights and stopped the vehicle near the intersection of 16th Street South. Behind the wheel was TyRon Lewis, accompanied by passenger **Eugene Young**. Unknown to the officers at the time, the vehicle had been reported stolen (though it was later determined Lewis had acquired it through an informal transaction). Lewis had a juvenile record and three outstanding felony warrants on drug charges. According to Officer Knight's account, he ordered Lewis to turn off the engine and exit the vehicle with his hands visible. When Lewis refused to unlock the doors or comply, Knight drew his weapon and positioned himself in front of the car while ordering Minor to use her baton to break the windshield. Knight later testified that Lewis repeatedly lurched the vehicle forward, bumping him at least six times and eventually knocking him onto the hood. Witness accounts, including that of passenger Eugene Young, contradicted key elements of Knight's testimony. Young recalled Lewis pleading, **"Please don't shoot, please don't shoot, I ain't even got nothing!"** Multiple witnesses stated that Lewis's car moved at "the speed of a baby's crawl." Knight fired his Glock semiautomatic pistol three times through the windshield, striking Lewis twice in the arm and once in the chest. TyRon Lewis was pronounced dead at the scene. The entire encounter lasted less than one minute. Within thirty minutes of the shooting, a crowd of over 100 people gathered at the scene. Frustration mounted as police withheld information about the incident, and the situation rapidly escalated. The protest transformed into a full-scale riot as demonstrators began throwing rocks, bottles, and bricks at officers. The violence spread throughout the Midtown neighborhood as hundreds of people filled the streets. Rioters looted stores, set fires to buildings and vehicles, and clashed with police. More than **350 state and local police officers** in riot gear barricaded a 25-square-block area. The unrest raged past midnight, with at least **28 arson fires** confirmed, including a police substation, a furniture store, and multiple businesses and homes. Mayor **David Fischer** declared a state of emergency, implemented a temporary ban on firearm sales and gasoline sales in containers, and met with community leaders. Florida Governor **Lawton Chiles** deployed **200 National Guard troops** to St. Petersburg on standby. The first night of rioting resulted in at least **11 injuries**—including a police officer who was shot and a newspaper photographer who was beaten—and **20 arrests**. Officers Knight and Minor were placed on paid administrative leave while investigations proceeded. On November 13, 1996—just 21 days after the shooting—a grand jury of 16 members (including one African American) announced its findings: Officer Knight had acted in self-defense and would not face criminal charges. The grand jury determined the shooting was justified and was not racially motivated. However, the St. Petersburg Police Department reached a different conclusion in its internal investigation. Police Chief **Darrel Stephens** announced that Knight had violated department policy regarding the use of force by failing to take "reasonable means to avoid the danger." Knight was **suspended for 60 days without pay**—a finding that stood in stark contrast to the grand jury's criminal exoneration. The grand jury's decision to clear the officers sparked immediate outrage. Within hours of the announcement, a second and more intense wave of rioting erupted. This time, rioters set more than **30 fires**, and violence escalated significantly. The second wave began when Officer **Keith Glasgow** was shot in the leg outside the headquarters of the **National People's Democratic Uhuru Movement**, a Black political organization that had been vocal in demanding justice for Lewis. The organization accused police of provoking the confrontation, citing what they described as a pattern of unwarranted arrests of their members. Police fired tear gas at a gathering of Uhuru members and arrested four people, including **Keith Stewart** and **David Willard**. In addition to Officer Glasgow, a police helicopter pilot was struck by gunfire, and two firefighters were injured. Dozens more arrests were made as the National Guard maintained its presence in the city. TyRon Lewis's death did not occur in isolation. He was the **seventh person shot by St. Petersburg police in 1996** and the second fatality in approximately one week. The Midtown neighborhood where Lewis was killed was 95 percent Black, with 37 percent of residents living below the poverty line and 23 percent receiving government assistance. The community had long-standing grievances about police treatment, and the Lewis shooting became a flashpoint for accumulated frustrations.