Louisville Police Officer Shot As Protests Erupt After Charges In Breonna Taylor Case
A Louisville Metropolitan Police officer has been shot as protesters marched to demand justice for Breonna Taylor following a limited indictment by a Jefferson County grand jury.
Police officials offered no details about the shooting, which was announced at about 7:40 p.m. ET — shortly before a countywide curfew went into effect.
Hundreds of protesters swiftly began demonstrations calling for justice for Breonna Taylor after a grand jury decided to indict just one of the three Louisville Metropolitan Police officers who fired nearly two dozen bullets into her apartment, killing the 26-year-old during a no-knock raid.
City and state officials, who have been expecting a decision from the grand jury all week after months of outrage and anticipation, were braced for widespread protests, preemptively calling for reinforcements from the National Guard.
Additionally, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer ordered a countywide curfew from 9 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. for 72 hours.
Protesters largely gathered at Jefferson Square Park but by about 8 p.m. most had been dispersed by Louisville police officers who declared an unlawful assembly and appeared to release flash grenades into the remaining crowds, the Courier Journal reported.
Some demonstrators had set some trash fires in the streets, and others set the boards on the Hall of Justice aflame.
At least one group dressed in camouflage and carrying long guns was seen walking through the streets.
The Jefferson County grand jury indicted former detective Brett Hankison on three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment over shooting into neighboring apartments.
But the grand jury declined to bring charges against Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and detective Myles Cosgrove, who shot six and 16 times respectively. The state attorney general said the law considered those actions to be self-defense after Taylor's boyfriend fired his gun.
This is a developing story. Some things reported by the media will later turn out to be wrong. We will focus on reports from officials and other authorities, credible news outlets and reporters who are at the scene. We will update as the situation develops [Copyright 2020 NPR]
