Anti-police protesters see the killing of Phoenix resident Rumain Brisbon as a third strike for the police viewed as being discriminatory when crime suspects are black people.

The 34-year-old family man was shot by a white police officer on Tuesday evening while bringing food from McDonald's on his black Cadillac SUV. The cop was tipped about a drug deal which involved Brisbon's car.

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It would likely fuel more protests that are ongoing in Ferguson and New York over similar questionable death of black crime suspects Michael Brown and Eric Garner despite these men being unarmed.

The situation in Phoenix again shows similar circumstances. The officer approached Brisbon's SUV to question the driver. Brisbon got out of the vehicle and seem to be removing an object from the SUV's back which prompted the cop to order Brisbon to show his hands, according to Phoenix Police spokesman Trent Crump.

When Brisbon placed his hands inside his waistband, the police drew his weapon which triggered Brisbon to run towards nearby apartments. The officer chased him and caught up with Brisbon, and the two struggled. The cop thought he felt a gun handle inside Brisbon's pocket, so when the suspect placed his hands inside the pocket, the officer fired two shots that killed the suspect.

It turned out Brisbon had a bottle of oxycodone pills in his pocket.

Crump defended the officer, a 30-year-old cop who has been with the department for seven years, as performing his duty to investigate crimes complained by Brisbon's neighbors. He also pointed out that it is common for police probers to get differing accounts from witnesses.

Marci Kratter, Brisbon's lawyer in a previous DUI case and now handling the case, said that her client's death is a senseless tragedy. "He was unarmed and not a threat to anyone," USA Today quotes Kratter. Brisbon had conviction records for burglary, possession of weed and DUI in the past.

His death likewise sparked protests in front of the Phoenix police station on Thursday night as demonstrators carried slogans seen also in Ferguson such as "black lives matter" and "hands up, don't shoot."

Another protest was scheduled on Friday night, but the organizers called it off due to threats of violence from both sides. The community leaders will hold a meeting on Monday to discuss their next move.

Brisbon's addition to the growing list of blacks killed by white cops despite being unarmed confirms "a suspicion that white police officers confronted with black men feel so threatened that they become too quick to shoot," wrote New York Times.

Ann Hart, chairwoman of the African-American police advisory council in Phoenix, said that Brisbon's death creates the impression that "it's open season on killing black men."

TagsRumain Brisbon, michael brown, Eric Garner, Phoenix Police, #CrimingWhileWhite, #AliveWhileBlack