Heavy
Videos showed gunfire breaking out in the streets as Breonna Taylor protests turned violent amidst reports that at least two police officers were shot.
In a press conference, the Louisville police chief said that, at about 8:30 p.m., officers were called to a report of a large crowd with shots fired. Shots rang out, and “two of our officers were shot,” the chief said. One officer is alert and stable; the second officer is undergoing surgery and is stable, the chief said. One suspect is in custody, said the chief, but he didn’t release a name.
“Obviously we have two officers shot tonight,” the chief added. “The safety of our officers and the community we serve is of utmost importance. The chief said the officers suffered non life-threatening wounds.
#BREAKING: At least two police officers were shot in Louisville, Kentucky amid #BreonnaTaylor protests, MetroSafe confirmed to @NewsNationNow.
Both were taken to the hospital. Their conditions are currently unknown.
This video captures officers saying they have one officer down.
The first reports of the officers being shot came from multiple local journalists on Twitter. It was also not immediately clear whether the gunfire in the videos is the same gunfire that struck the officer. You can watch videos from the scene later in this article, but be aware that some of the language in them is graphic.
Here’s what you need to know:
One Officer Was Shot at Brook & Broadway
WARNING: This video may be disturbing. @khyati_tv caught the moment leading up to the officer being shot in downtown Louisville. You hear it, but do not see it. Team of officers rush to ambulance.
An officer was shot near Brook and Broadway, the local journalists reported:
“JUST IN — MetroSafe confirms a police officer was just shot at Brook and Broadway. #Louisville,” Fallon Glick, of WDRB-TV, reported on Twitter.
Tori Gessner, a WAVE 3 News reporter, wrote on Twitter: “#BREAKING An LMPD officer was shot downtown near Brook and Broadway, according to a department spokesperson.”
“WARNING: This video may be disturbing. @khyati_tv caught the moment leading up to the officer being shot in downtown Louisville. You hear it, but do not see it. Team of officers rush to ambulance,” wrote journalist Amber Smith.
Police have not yet given out any details on the shootings.
Shots fired at police in Louisville. t.co/YWUSuoV6u3
The Louisville police were also live streaming from the scene; “shots fired,” an officer says in their video. Here’s the police live stream from their Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=388619612145234&ref=watch_permalink
Video Shows People Running as Gunfire Bursts Out
The violence erupted after authorities announced that the officers who shot Taylor will not be criminally charged because her boyfriend opened fire on them first while they were executing a search warrant at her home. One officer was criminally charged with wanton endangerment, but the charge involved bullets that entered nearby apartments. The officer was not charged in Taylor’s death, and his bullets did not hit Taylor.
That has led to an eruption of anger and unrest in the streets.
[UNCONFIRMED] Possible shots at Louisville police by people in the protest crowd after teargas deployed. Via: Reggie Inkagnedo on YouTube #Louisville
“Sh-t they’re shooting real guns,” someone shouts in the video. “They’re blasting at the police.”
This post is being updated as more information is learned about the shooting of the police officers.
There were reports of “chaos” in the streets of Louisville.
“The FBI Louisville SWAT team has responded to an LMPD officer being shot and will continue to assist in the investigation,” the FBI’s Louisville office wrote on Twitter.
NPR reported that at least “one group dressed in camouflage and carrying long guns was seen walking through the streets.”
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