Authorities were investigating a fatal shooting Saturday night at a park in the U.S. state of Kentucky, where anti-racism protesters had gathered to protest the death of a black woman, Breonna Taylor.
Reports that the Jefferson Square Park was fired came around 9 p.m., Louisville metro police said in a statement, followed by calls that the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department was taking steps to save the life of a man who died at the scene.
Soon after, police reported a shooting victim across the street in the Hall of Justice. That person was hospitalized with non-fatal injuries.
The video posted on social media seemed to show a man opening fire in the park while people sought refuge. Later images showed at least one person bleeding profusely on the ground.
Officers cleared the park and police “are trying to gather as much information as possible to identify everyone involved in the incident,” the statement said.
|
USA: Breonna Taylor’s mother calls for police reforms |
Information on arrests, possible suspects and the identities and ages of the victims was not immediately released. Officials did not immediately release additional information.
“I am deeply saddened by the violence that erupted in Jefferson Square Park tonight, where those who have been voicing their concerns gathered,” Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said in a statement.
“It is a tragedy that this area of peaceful protest is now a crime scene.”
The park has for weeks been the epicenter of the anti-racism of the Black Lives Matter protests in the city after the police and Taylor Floyd killings.
Saturday night’s shooting was at least the second during nearly a month of protests in Louisville over Taylor’s death.
Seven people were wounded on May 28 when the gunfire erupted near the City Hall, prompting a statement from Taylor’s mother asking people to demand justice “without hurting themselves.”
Taylor, a 26-year-old black woman, was killed at her Louisville home in March by police who were following a no-touch order. Protesters have been asking that the officers involved in her death be charged. One of the officers was recently fired.
Kenneth Walker, Taylor’s boyfriend, was originally charged with attempted murder after shooting one of the officers who entered the home. Walker has said he thought he was defending himself from an intruder.
The no-touch search warrant that allows police entry without announcing their presence was recently banned by the Louisville Metro Council.
