The death of unarmed Black teen Mike Brown moved many to action in Ferguson, Missouri and Daren Seals was one such person. Police are now reporting that Seals, 29, was found shot to death and his car set on fire in a suburb of the city. Seals rose to prominence during the Ferguson uprising for his outspoken passion over the killing of Brown and his encouragement of residents in the city not to riot and burn but to vote. He was quoted as saying in November 2014, “Just because they’ve got the D next to their name, that don’t mean nothing. The world is watching us right now. It’s time to send a message of our power.” Seals was one of the many residents in the city who saw Mike Brown’s body lying in the street for three hours after he was shot by former Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. He channeled his anger into activism and was critical of the Black Lives Matter movement as being outsiders in his community.
His body was found early Tuesday morning, around 1:40 a.m., when residents stated they heard a loud explosion and saw a fire in a Riverview, Missouri parking lot. When firefighters arrived at the scene, the fire was contained and Seals’ body was discovered. Police are stating that he had a gunshot wound and are searching for suspects in his death.
Seals was outspoken on issues of social justice and recently posted his views on the Colin Kaepernick protest just hours before his death. Seals last tweet reads:
“The @NFL mad about #Kaepernick protest but I bet they don’t turn down all the money from them jersey sales”- 8:35 PM – 5 Sep 2016/ King D Seals-@KingDSeals
The St. Louis County Police Department’s Bureau of Crimes Against Persons and Bomb and Arson Unit are handling the investigation. Police have not released any suspect information or a possible motive, and asked anyone with information about Seals’ death to call CrimeStoppers at 1-866-371-8477.
