Police shooting in Asheville, N.C., sparks race debate

Concerned community members Adrienne Weir, center, and Hannah Butler, right, gather in front of the Asheville Police Department to raise awareness in memory of Jai “Jerry” Williams on July 12. Williams, 35, was shot and killed by police in the North Carolina city on July 2, 2016.

A shrine in memory of Jai “Jerry” Williams is displayed at the Block off Biltmore in Asheville, N.C., on July 12.   (Susannah Kay / For The Times )

Concerned community members attend the Interfaith Unity Gathering organized by Asheville, N.C., city officials and the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance in memory of Jai “Jerry” Williams on July 12.

Diondrea Arrington, 3, and other community members attend the Interfaith Unity Gathering organized by city officials and the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance in memory of Jai “Jerry” Williams on July 12, 2016, in Pack Square Park in downtown Asheville, N.C.

Family members and concerned citizens wear T-shirts in memory of Jai “Jerry” Williams, who was shot and killed by police in Asheville, N.C., on July 2, 2016.   (Susannah Kay / For The Times )

Posters in memory of Jai “Jerry” Williams are shown at the Block off Biltmore in Asheville, N.C. Williams, 35, was fatally shot by police at nearby Deaverview Apartments on July 2, 2016.

Jamal Cash leads Jai “Jerry” Williams’ family and community in song at Williams’ birthday party at the Block off Biltmore in Asheville, N.C., on July 12. Williams, who was fatally shot by police 10 days earlier, would have been 36.   (Susannah Kay / For The Times )

Jai “Jerry” Williams is honored by his mother, Najiyyah Avery, left, and cousins Tristan Earle and Tiffany Williams at his birthday party in Asheville, N.C. Williams died 10 days earlier in a police shooting.