WARNING: IMAGES ARE GRAPHIC AND MAY NOT BE APPROPRIATE FOR CHILDREN 

An image posted by a mother has since been shared 61,000 times. 

Ulysses Wilkerson’s family was searching for answers as to how the 17 year-old ended up like this after an encounter with Troy police.

“He had trauma to the brain, swelling on the brain, and a cracked eye socket in three different places,” said Ulysses  Wilkerson Jr. , Ulysses’ father.

Many of the 61,000 shares of the Facebook post said they were outraged.

“From all over the world, people are commenting they want justice,” said his father.

 It is said that officers saw Wilkerson coming around the corner of a building in downtown Troy. When they tried to speak to him, he fled leading to a foot chase that ended here, on Madison Street. One witness said she saw officers surrounding Wilkerson who appeared to be unconscious.

“You could see the swelling of his face you could tell he had a lot of bleeding. He looked like he was passed out or maybe in and out of consciousness.” said Brittany Patterson, who drove by the scene.

Saying the first thing that came to mind was, “I hope they are not beating him.”

WDHN reached out to the Troy Police Department and to the Troy mayors office, neither would comment.

The family is asking for body and dash camera footage to be released. Also telling News 18 today that any charges against Wilkerson were dropped and that he was never placed under arrest.

“They had him handcuffed when we got in there they said he was charged with obstruction of justice the ambulance came to take him to UAB the took the handcuffs off and dropped the charges on him,” said his father.

Wilkerson was released from UAB Hospital in Birmingham, but remains under medical observation and could possibly undergo surgery after more swelling goes down.

Keeping it local in Troy, Casey Watson WDHN News 18.