Fires Set in Louisville as Breonna Taylor Protests Continue Into the Night
Fires were set in Louisville, Kentucky on September 23, amid protests in response to the police charges in Breonna Taylor’s killing.
Footage shows several small fires and a smashed-in bus stop. Brendan Gutenschwager, who filmed this video, said the National Guard looked to be guarding a parking structure.
Former Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) Officer Brett Hankison was charged with three counts of wanton endangerment in the first degree. Hankison’s bond was set at $15,000. Hankison was fired from the police force on June 23 for his role in the shooting death of Taylor.
Sgt Jonathan Mattingly and detective Myles Cosgrove, the two other officers who fired their weapons while trying to serve a search warrant on Taylor’s apartment in the early hours of March 13, were not charged.
Jefferson Circuit Judge Annie O’Connell read the grand jury’s decision on Wednesday afternoon as demonstrators calling for justice gathered around speakers outside the Louisville Metro Police Department. This video shows one woman’s emotional reaction to the decision.
The LMPD declared a state of emergency on Monday in preparation for the grand jury announcement and canceled officers’ vacation and planned leave “until further notice,” reports said.
Six Louisville officers were under investigation for the death of Breonna Taylor, the 26-year-old emergency medical technician fatally shot in her home by LMPD during a raid in March.
The City of Louisville agreed on September 15 to pay Taylor’s family $12 million and reform police practices as part of a settlement.
Protesters marched through locked-down streets and business owners in downtown Louisville boarded up storefronts ahead of the announcement.
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer put a 72-hour curfew in place for Louisville and LMPD interim Chief Robert Schroeder confirmed that Kentucky National Guard members would be present following the announcement.
The Courier-Journal reported one officer shot and 27 protesters arrested, as of 9pm on September 23. Credit: Brendan Gutenschwager via Storyful
