Fayetteville, North Carolina – Black Lives Matter demonstrators rallied outside a North Carolina police station on Sunday to protest the fatal shooting of an unarmed Black man by a sheriff's deputy one day prior.

The victim, 37-year-old Jason Walker, was pronounced dead on the scene after the fatal encounter on Saturday, the Associated Press reported.

Police claimed Walker "ran into traffic and jumped on a moving vehicle," referring to a red truck driven by a local sheriff's deputy, then off duty. The officer, whose identity has not been disclosed, shot Walker and called 911.

But protesters disputed the story during the rally on Sunday. Elizabeth Ricks, a trauma nurse who witnessed the incident and tried to save Walker's life after the shooting, shared her own version of events with the crowd.

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"I did not see anyone in distress. The man was just walking home," she said. By her account, the officer hit Walker with his truck and then shot him.

"I'm not going to be silent, even though they've been trying to silence me. The Fayetteville police has not reached out to us," Ricks insisted at the protest. "We know what we say, and I'm not going to back down."

Another eyewitness added that the officer didn't do anything to help Walker after the shooting: "He did not call EMS first. He called his boss, I believe to cover himself and what happened and try to cover up the reality of the situation."

Fayetteville Police Chief Gina Hawkins said during a press conference that the truck's black box computer did not show any signs of impact.

She added that the only eyewitness reported Walker hadn't been hit by the vehicle, apparently ignoring Ricks' account of the incident.

The case is now in the hands of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.

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The tragedy has left Walker's family and friends devastated.

His cousin Brittany Monroe said, "It really broke my heart because he would never hurt anyone. I don’t understand how it could happen to him. He would do anything for anybody."