USA Students Protest Police Using Deadly Force Against Gil Collar

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By Jessica Gertler

Story Created: Oct 10, 2012 at 6:40 PM CDT

Story Updated: Oct 12, 2012 at 4:02 PM CDT

CBS 8 News is in Mobile where dozens of people remember the life of Gil Collar. He is the Wetumpka college student who was shot and killed by a University of South Alabama Police officer.

Dozens lined the street shouting their message loud and clear.

"When we started the group on Facebook, we didn't expect it to get as big as it did," says Joseph Varner who is the protest organizer.

On Saturday authorities say 18-year-old Gil Collar had taken LSD and threatened campus police officer Trevis Austin who then shot and killed Collar, who was unarmed at the time.

But Varner says deadly force could have been avoided.

"The campus rules prevent the police from having tasers and lethal weapons," says Varner. "We're here. We have a petition for people to sign it to try to change the rules to where they can have a non-lethal force and training, so that this situation never happens again."

But Varner's protest wasn't the only one on campus. Stephanie Lowe voiced her support for campus police.

"He wasn't in the right state of mind, and the officer put a stop to it. If the young man would have taken the gun and went on a rampage on campus, people would be asking where are the police," Lowe says.

Friends of collar says the incident was out of character.

"He wouldn't wish ill harm to anyone. Even to the cop, but we just don't want to have this situation happen again," says Collar's friend Tyler Kendrick.

Protesters are hoping they make a difference. Hoping for change.

"This is a college. This is a student. You just can't do this to kids," says protester Ben Jacobs.

The Sheriff's Office says collar's family is viewing the surveillance video Wednesday and then on Thursday, the media will have a chance to see it.

The Mobile County Sheriff's Office and the district attorney are investigating the shooting, and working to find out where Collar obtained the LSD.

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So Wrong said on Monday, Oct 15 at 2:49 PM

Sounds kinda like that Bart cop in Oakland, CA. Too Bad I bet the student was a good kid and from the words of his friends he was. But what is up with Stephaie she has got some nerve. I bet her dad, son or brother is a cop on campus. She says "this kid wasnt in his right mind and the officer put a stop to it" what a mean woman. You dont kill someone because hes on LSD, Oxycontin, weed or whatever. The kid is in college for god sake, thats his job to experiment to find out who he is. Not get killed by some campus cop. She then says he could of taken the cops gun and gone on a rampage?? This must be some wussy cop from the sounds of all this. Kills an unarmed student. Then people saying the kid could of taken the gun from the Cop... who hired this cop? Is she blind the cop shot and killed a student who was unarmed UNARMED you coward cop.

America Today said on Saturday, Oct 13 at 8:53 AM

This kid was clearly making a last ditch attempt at help. I just did a search on Google and found that this story was listed 6 times. If there was a video of a white cop shooting a black student seeking help everyone including Obama would be involved. I know that's not PC but people need to wake up from their parents/schools/MSM brain washing already. It's a math problem. It's arithmetic. If the races were reversed there would be 20,000 or so stories on Google about this. Since it's a white kid being shot by a black cop it's just 6.

Jessie jacks son said on Wednesday, Oct 10 at 9:40 PM

This guy was trying to get help! he was confused and wanted to end the drugs effects. He wanted to get help after he was drugged by a stranger at the concert earlier.

david woolverton said on Wednesday, Oct 10 at 9:19 PM

This is completely crazy! The student probably knew something was wrong and was trying to get help. There were other ways the officer could have sudued him, he didn't have to kill him. At the VERY least he deserves to be kicked off the force. No matter how bad he feels it is nothing compared to how the kid's family feels.

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