CP Photo: Jared Wickerham
Supporters leave lit candles and place flowers in front of a photo of Jim Rogers in Friendship Park after marching through the streets a year following his death.
Rogers, a 54-year-old homeless man, died inside a local hospital on Oct. 14, 2021, less than 24 hours after Pittsburgh Police officers tased him eight times.
About 50 of Rogers' friends, family, and supporters gathered in Bloomfield on Thursday night where they played his favorite music while walking to Friendship Park for the vigil. Among the supporters were Rogers' niece, Diamond Rogers, and sister-in-law, Tiffany Hale, who both wore "Justice for Jim Rogers" shirts with "Charge Those Officers" written on the back.
On Oct. 13, 2021, a Bloomfield resident called police to report Rogers allegedly stealing, then returning, a $50 bike from a neighbor’s front yard. The woman who owned the bike said she wanted to get rid of it, and told local TV station WPXI that the man could have had it for free. Organizers of Thursday's vigil encouraged supporters to show up with bicycles.
After Pittsburgh Police officers tased Rogers eight times, he reportedly asked for help and medical attention at least 13 times.
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey and Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt announced the conclusion of an internal investigation into Rogers' death in March 2022, saying that they planned to terminate five of the eight officers involved.
Last week, TribLive reported that a grand jury investigation into his death concluded with no word as to whether any of the 13 police officers who were on the scene at the time Rogers was tased would be charged.
CP Photo: Jared Wickerham
Jim Rogers' niece, Diamond Rogers, and uncle, Billy Joe, hold hands during the candlelight vigil.
