Curfew Set After Race Riots Hit Town

Authorities declared a state of emergency in the Mississippi Delta town of Leland after hundreds of angry residents rioted over the mysterious death of a black motorist. After surveying a trail of damaged police cars and businesses, Mayor Sam Thomas imposed a 6 p.m.-to-6 a.m. curfew through the weekend. Leland is a town of about 6,300 people on the western cusp of the state’s impoverished Delta region. The disturbance began late Wednesday when about 400 protesters marched on the local police department in hopes of addressing officials about the Oct. 17 death of 29-year-old motorist Aaron White, authorities said. Initially, police said an officer killed White in an exchange of gunfire after the man crashed into a tree at night in a rural area. But on Monday, authorities ruled White’s death a suicide.