Nelly leads protest against shooting of Missouri teenager

Rapper Nelly led a star-studded protest against the killing of Missouri teenager Michael Brown during a celebrity football game in California on Saturday (16Aug14).

The star attended the charity flag football event organized by Chris Brown and Quincy Combs, stepson of rapper Sean 'Diddy' Combs, and he led the guests in a demonstration against the killing of the unarmed teenager in Ferguson, Missouri earlier this month (Aug14).

The Dilemma hitmaker asked attendees at the Jack Kemp Stadium in Glendale to raise their hands in the same gesture used by protesters, which has come to be known as 'Hands Up Don't Shoot'.

Nelly, who grew up in Missouri, appealed for the crowd's support, saying, "If I could get everybody to rise and just raise their hands in support for everything that's going on back home in my city right now at this minute. If anybody can sympathise with what my city is going through, it's this city of L.A. right now. On so many levels."

Other celebrities at the match included The Game, Trey Songz, Omarion, Bow Wow, Wale, Lil Mama and Jermaine Dupri.

The death of Michael Brown, who was a suspect in a robbery, sparked a series of heated protests in the state, while the use of tear gas and rubber bullets by riot police prompted widespread condemnation.