Louisville police arrest at least 24 at protest

protestor-arrested-09-25
protestor-arrested-09-25

The latest on a grand jury’s decision not to indict police officers on criminal charges directly related to Breonna Taylor’s death: (all times EDT)

6:30 a.m.

A fire that erupted overnight at a four-story commercial building in downtown Louisville has been extinguished.

The Louisville Division of Fire said in a Facebook post early Friday that smoke and flames were coming from the boarded up building just after 1:30 a.m. Plywood had been placed over several doors and windows downtown ahead of the Kentucky attorney general’s Wednesday announcement in the Breonna Taylor case.

It took about 70 firefighters around 30 minutes to put out the flames, the agency said. No injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire was under investigation. It did not appear to be tied to protests. Demonstrators had negotiated with police and largely dispersed just after 11 p.m. Thursday night.

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE BREONNA TAYLOR CASE:

A Kentucky grand jury has brought no charges against Louisville police for the killing of Breonna Taylor during a drug raid gone wrong. Prosecutors said Wednesday that two officers who fired their weapons at the Black woman were justified in using force to protect themselves. Instead, the only charges brought by the grand jury were three counts of wanton endangerment against fired Officer Brett Hankison for shooting into Taylor’s neighbors’ homes. Taylor was shot multiple times by officers who burst into her home on March 13 during a narcotics investigation.

HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

1:45 a.m.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — At least 24 people have been arrested in Louisville during the second night of protests over a grand jury’s decision not to indict police officers on criminal charges directly related to the death of Breonna Taylor.

Louisville Metro Police said early Friday that the demonstrators were arrested before 1 a.m. on charges including unlawful assembly, failure to disperse and riot in the first degree.

Authorities alleged the protesters broke windows at a restaurant, damaged city buses, tried to set a fire and threw a flare into the street.

The agency also denied accusations that circulated on social media that officers were waiting for a decision from lawyers about whether they could “storm” a private church property where hundreds of protesters had gathered to avoid arrest after the city’s curfew went into effect.

The protesters disbanded around 11 p.m. Thursday after negotiating with police in riot gear, who also pulled back.

11:15 p.m.

A protest has ended outside a Louisville church where demonstrators had rallied against a grand jury decision in the Breonna Taylor case.

Several dozen demonstrators left the First Unitarian Church around 11 p.m. Thursday after a negotiated end to a tense confrontation. Police who had gathered there with riot gear also pulled back.

Several arrests had been made earlier that evening at an intersection outside the church. But there appeared to be no police interference as the protest disbanded.

Demonstrator Nicole Aghaaliandastjerdi said she knew several people taken into custody and believes they were arrested unfairly.

“I am not sad, I am angry,” she said, vowing to return downtown Friday to help her friends get out of jail.

The latest demonstrations erupted after the announcement Wednesday that no police officers had been directly charged in the fatal shooting of Taylor. The Black woman was killed during a police raid gone wrong in March.

10:50 p.m.

Several arrests have been made near a downtown Louisville church where people protesting a grand jury decision in the Breonna Taylor case had gathered.

Among those arrested Thursday night was state Rep. Attica Scott. The Louisville Democrat, who has served in the legislature since 2017, has pushed for legislation outlawing no-knock warrants criticized by protesters. Her Facebook page includes open calls for justice for Taylor, a Black woman killed during a police raid gone wrong last March.

About 200 people remained in the area outside the First Unitarian Church, where demonstrators apparently took refuge to avoid arrest for violating a nighttime curfew. Some taunted officers in riot gear who stood nearby.

The stone gothic-style church was built in the late 19th century and is known for its progressive ideology. A large Black Lives Matter banner hangs outside it.

No police officers were directly charged by a grand jury in the fatal shooting of Taylor.

10 p.m.

Lavel White, a regular protester in downtown Louisville, says he felt drawn to the latest Breonna Taylor march because he was devastated by the grand jury decision in the case.

He felt angry that the months had passed before Wednesday’s announcement.

No police officers were directly charged in the fatal shooting of Taylor, a Black woman killed during a police drug raid gone wrong last March.

White said officials left the city on edge, waiting so long for such disappointing news.

“My wife is a Black woman and I’m a Black man. So they can just barge in my house and kill me and get away with it?” he asked.

He ended up at a church where scores of protesters had gathered Thursday night as police with riot gear stood nearby.

9:35 p.m.

A speaker addressing protesters gathered for the Breonna Taylor case that anyone who leaves their spot outside a Louisville church could face arrest. Riot police could be seen nearby.

Scores of people gathered Thursday night outside the First Unitarian Church on Thursday night and remained after a 9 p.m. curfew took hold. Police in riot gear were lined up on the opposite of an empty parking lot across the street from the side of the church.

It was the second night of protests over a grand jury decision in the killing of Taylor, a Black woman shot in a police raid gone wrong. The grand jury on Wednesday didn’t bring homicide charges against the white officers who burst into her Louisville apartment during a drug investigation in March.

9:05 p.m.

Scores of demonstrators have gathered in Louisville, despite a nighttime curfew and nearby police in riot gear, marking a second night of protests in the Breonna Taylor case.

The curfew took hold at 9 p.m. Thursday in the Kentucky city as the protesters met up at the First Unitarian Church. Police in riot gear could be seen blocking nearby streets. People in the crowd chanted “Black Lives Matter.”

Before the march began, protester Shameka Parrish-Wright told the crowd to stay together and take care of each other if they were met with force.

“We want to show the country and the world what we’re about,” Parrish-Wright said. Police blocked roads as they marched. Police, meanwhile, were seen nearby and patrol cars blocked some roads. There was no immediate signs of a confrontation.

5:40 p.m.

Kentucky’s governor has condemned the shooting of two Louisville police officers and is calling for protesters to be peaceful after the decision not to charge officers in the killing of Breonna Taylor.

Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday that “the answer to violence can never be violence.”

Beshear says he spoke with President Donald Trump on Wednesday night after the officers were wounded during demonstrations in Kentucky’s largest city over a grand jury decision in the case of Taylor, a Black woman killed during a police raid gone wrong.

Protests erupted in Louisville and in other cities nationwide overnight after the police officers involved in the raid weren’t directly criminally charged in her fatal shooting.

Beshear said the president offered federal assistance if needed, but says they agreed at the time that the city and state had “appropriate levels” of law enforcement on the scene.

5 p.m.

Protests turned violent in some U.S. cities Wednesday night, hours after the grand jury decision in the Breonna Taylor case in Kentucky.

Police in Seattle made 13 arrests as authorities said people smashed windows and spray painted buildings. Multiple officers were injured and one was struck in the head with a baseball bat, cracking his helmet.

In a statement, Seattle police also said they were aware of a video that apparently shows a bike officer’s bike rolling over the head of someone in the street. The incident will be investigated, authorities said.

In Portland, Oregon, people hurled Molotov cocktails at officers. Thirteen were arrested. Denver police said a man was detained after driving his car through a group of protesters. Police said no injuries were reported there.

Cities around the country saw protesters take to the streets following a Kentucky grand jury’s decision to not indict officers directly in Taylor’s fatal shooting.

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Amy McGrath says there is a need to “tackle the systemic racism” in the U.S.

McGrath is challenging U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in Kentucky’s November election. She met in downtown Louisville on Thursday with some of the protesters who have taken to the streets to seek justice for Breonna Taylor.

Demonstrators turned out Wednesday in Louisville and throughout the country to express their disappointment that police officers weren’t criminally charged in her fatal shooting during a botched drug raid in March.

McGrath called for Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron to release details about the evidence presented to the grand jury in the Taylor case. She faced pushback from some protesters. Rose Henderson says McGrath’s appearance was “all about politics and cameras.”

2:05 p.m.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany says she’s not aware of any conversation between President Donald Trump and the family of Breonna Taylor but that their hearts go out to her family.

Asked what the president’s message is to Taylor’s family, McEnany said what happened is “a horrible tragedy” and that their hearts are also with the two police officers who were shot Wednesday night during protests in Louisville.

Cities around the country saw protesters take to the streets following a Kentucky grand jury’s decision to not indict officers in Taylor’s fatal shooting.

The Associated Press