Following the grand jury ruling in the death of 26-year-old Breonna Taylor, which resulted in a decision not to indict the three officers involved on murder-related charges, protests erupted in Atlanta, Chicago, New York, and Louisville where two officers were shot.
A spokesman for the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department issued a statement to the Associated Press Wednesday night saying, “We currently have an officer shot. We’ll update when we can. ”
At a press conference, police officials revealed that the two wounded officers sustained “non-life-threatening” injuries. One officer is in surgery and stable condition, while the other is alert and also stable.
“I am very concerned about the safety of our officers,” said interim Louisville Metro Police Chief Robert Schroeder. “Obviously we’ve had two officers shot tonight. That is very serious and a dangerous condition. I think the safety of our officers and the community we serve are of utmost importance.”
A suspect has already been charged and taken into custody, and according to reports, he’s been identified as Larynzo Johnson.
Johnson is facing 14 counts of wanton endangerment on a police officer and two counts of assault on a police officer. He is set to be arraigned on Friday.
On March 13, Taylor was shot multiple times in her home after Louisville Metro Police officers entered using a no-knock warrant during a narcotics investigation. Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, opened fired when officers came in, forcing them to return fire. Following the shooting, one of the involved officers was fired from the force while the other two were placed on administrative reassignment.
More than 100 days after the shooting, Brett Hankison was indicted on three counts of wanton endangerment for firing shots into Taylor’s neighbors’ home, which carries a sentence of up to five years. The other two officers were not charged.
Later, a crowd gathered in downtown Louisville and began marching through the streets, while chanting, “No justice, no peace!”
In a tweet regarding the shooting, Donald Trump stated, “Praying for the two police officers that were shot tonight in Louisville, Kentucky. The Federal Government stands behind you and is ready to help… We are prepared to work together immediately upon request!”
The Louisville Governor Beshear released a video on Twitter addressing the shootings, saying, “I know that with the events of today, many people are feeling powerful emotions, whether that’s frustration, anger, concern. And many people have been out on the streets, especially in Louisville tonight, giving voice to those emotions. But sadly, we have seen at least one individual turn what were non-violent ways of expressing ourselves into the shooting of at least two law enforcement officers. We know that the answer to violence is never violence, and we are thinking about those two officers and their families tonight.”
He pleaded with protesters to “please, go home.”
“Let’s make sure we don’t see any more violence tonight, and let’s make sure that we find ways of expressing ourselves moving forward where your point and other people’s points are made, and hopefully we can not just listen, but we can hear,” he said.
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