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Protesters again ask for Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill to release Bernardo Palacios-Carbajal report

  | June 19, 2020, 2:22 a.m.
| Updated: 5:07 a.m.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Sofia Alcala leads the crowd as they chant during a Rally for Bernardo Palacios, in front of the Salt Lake County District Attorney's office and block traffic along 500 S. on Thursday, June 18, 2020.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Sofia Alcala leads the crowd as they chant during a Rally for Bernardo Palacios, in front of the Salt Lake County District Attorney's office and block traffic along 500 S. on Thursday, June 18, 2020.

As pledged, dozens of protesters gathered again outside Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill’s office on Thursday evening, asking for the report on the police shooting death of Bernardo Palacios-Carbajal to be released to the public.

In the early morning hours of May 23, Salt Lake City police shot towards Palacios-Carbajal more than twenty times as he ran from officers.

Officers said Palacios-Carbajal dropped a gun during the chase. Salt Lake City police turned the shooting investigation over to Unified Police, who submitted their report to Gill’s office on Tuesday.

Amid chants of “Justice for Bernardo,” and “No Justice, No Peace,” protesters walked onto 500 South, stopping traffic. Then, community activist Sofia Alcala spoke to the crowd by megaphone.

“Who was scared in that video? Who was running? Whose last words were ‘Officer, I don’t want to die?,” she shouted.

“Bernardo,” the crowd shouted back.

The group, which included friends and family of Palacios-Carbajal, said they plan to gather until the report is released.

“I’m hoping in the next two weeks we’ll have it finished,” Gill told reporters.

Typically, the demonstators plan to meet outside of Gill’s office, but say they plan to merge with Juneteenth protests beginning at Washington Square Park in Salt Lake City on Friday.