The lawyer for the family of an unarmed teenager shot dead while on a first date by South Carolina police says the case is being overlooked because the victim is white.
Zachary Hammond, 19, was in his car when police approached the vehicle on 26 July in the city of Seneca.
He was with a 23-year-old woman who had arranged to meet someone to sell them a small amount of cannabis.
She did not realise the 'buyer' meeting her in the car park of fast-food outlet Hardee's was an undercover police officer.
Seneca Police Chief John Covington has said that as the undercover officer pulled up, a uniformed officer approached Mr Hammond's car on foot.
He said Mr Hammond drove his car towards the uniformed officer, who opened fire because he feared for his life.
But Hammond family lawyer Eric Bland says the police department's "bizarre" claims are contradicted by the results of a private autopsy commissioned by the family.
He provided Sky News with photos from a post-mortem examination which apparently show the teen was shot in the back and side.
The image shows two bullet wounds on Mr Hammond's left shoulder and under his left arm pit.
The attorney also says the car was stationary at the time of the shooting.
He says that as the officer approached, the teenager reached down to the gear shift to park the vehicle.
One of the officers shouted the driver had a gun, the attorney added.
There has been little of the national outrage that has erupted in recent high-profile cases of unarmed young men shot by US police.
Mr Bland blames the comparative lack of coverage on Zachary Hammond's race.
He told Sky News: "The reason is, and it's a sad commentary on our society, there's really a hypocrisy going on.
"If this was an African-American unarmed teenager there's no question the American media and civil rights organisations would have descended on South Carolina.
"This case should not be judged on the victim's colour, the focus should be on the use of deadly force by law enforcement in situations where it's completely unwarranted."
Oconee County Coroner's Office has said Mr Hammond was shot twice in the shoulder and torso.
But the post-mortem examination did not specify from which direction the bullets entered his body.
The coroner has classified the death as a homicide.
Seneca police have refused to name the officer involved. They say he has been placed on administrative leave.
Mr Hammond's companion, 23-year-old Tori Morton, was not hurt.
She was charged with possessing 10 grams of marijuana and released.
Zachary Hammond's name barely caused a blip on social media in the aftermath of the shooting.
But some #BlackLivesMatter activists and other commentators have said the case is being ignored.
Jamilah Lemieux, an African-American columnist, tweeted: "#ZacharyHammond isn't going to get the outrage he deserves because it would force folks to admit their consistent defense of police is wrong".
The case is being reviewed by the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division.
Source: SKY News
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