Killing of Antwon Rose Jr.

Hester was charged with the drive by shooting.[18] The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published video footage showing Rose in the front passenger seat of a Chevrolet Cruze, while Hester fired through the rear window behind him. Contradicting that video evidence, drive-by victim William Ross told investigators on January 17, 2019 that Rose was in fact the individual who had shot him: "The beef was between me and him, that car came by, he shot me, I ran to the store."[19]

Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala stated that Rose had an empty 9-millimeter handgun magazine in his pocket, and officials stated there were two guns in the car, a 9-millimeter handgun and a .40-caliber handgun.[20][21] According to police, Hester had fired the .40-caliber handgun.[21]

Trial testimony from a scientist at the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office showed that Rose had gunshot residue on his hands at the time he was shot and his DNA was found on the 9mm pistol found under the passenger seat. Allegheny County Medical Examiner Daniel Wolfe said the residue didn't necessarily mean Rose fired a gun, though it is likely he did.[22] During the trial, Rosfeld's attorney additionally claimed that Rose had stolen one of the handguns found in the car during an armed robbery of his employer just hours before he was shot. However, this was ruled inadmissible by Judge Alexander Bicket, as information regarding the gun theft was unknown to Rosfeld when he conducted the felony traffic stop.[23]

Protests attended by hundreds of people were held on June 20 and June 21 in front of the Allegheny County Courthouse in Downtown Pittsburgh.[10][8] On the night of June 22, protestors marching on the Parkway East freeway slowed traffic for miles;[28] subsequent protests took place near PNC Park on Pittsburgh's North Shore[29] and in Pittsburgh's South Side neighborhood.[30][31] A visiting for Rose was held on June 24,[32] and his funeral held at the Woodland Hills Middle School on June 25.[33]

The preliminary hearing for the officer was relocated to the Allegheny County Courthouse due to security concerns given the continued protests in the city.[34] On July 8, while protesting on Route 30 in North Versailles, four protestors were hit by a car that drove through the march.[35] One person was arrested[36] and one person was taken to the hospital.[37] The protests continued, with the goal of bringing visibility to and awareness of the shooting.[36] On July 26, Pittsburgh city officials issued a new protest policy due to continued disruption of the city's roadways and bridges.[38] This policy does not prohibit protests, but does prohibit unpermitted protestors from blocking traffic or shutting down specific "red zone" areas, and during limited high-traffic times in "yellow zone" areas.[38] On July 27, protestors at Grant Street and Forbes Avenue confronted the Public Safety Director and Police Chief. One of the protestors, Nicky Jo Dawson, complained that the new policy "put further restrictions on people who are peacefully protesting against an oppressive system."[39]

Following the trial of Rosfeld, multiple demonstrations took place. The largest was three days after the trial on March 25, in which over a thousand people marched through the streets of Downtown Pittsburgh. The march was escorted by the police. This protest coincided with a walkout of schools and universities, including Chatham University, the University of Pittsburgh, Taylor Allderdice High School, and Obama Academy.[40][41] Smaller protests took place after, in which protestors occupied businesses and disrupted traffic.

On July 12, 2018, members of Rose's community in Rankin, Pennsylvania came together to celebrate his 18th birthday. The celebration was motivated by his mother as a way to bring the community together.[42] The event offered food for participants, and the organizers donated 250 backpacks of books to members of the community.[42]