Aurora, Colorado police launched an investigation Saturday after a car passed through a crowd of protesters marching to protest the death of Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old unarmed black man who died in police custody last year.
The Aurora Police Department said in a statement that a vehicle passed through a crowd of protesters as they walked down Interstate 225. A protester fired a weapon in response, hitting at least one other person, police said. That person was taken to a local hospital and is in stable condition.
Another person came to the hospital with a scraping wound, although it was unclear if the injury was associated with the incident, police said. Witnesses said a third person was also injured while trying to avoid the car’s path, The Denver Post reported.
“The vehicle was towed and we are investigating that incident,” the department added.
Someone else showed up at the hospital with a grazing wound.
The vehicle was towed and we are investigating that incident.
Any witness to the shooting is urged to call @CrimeStoppersCO. pic.twitter.com/Mxm6LyXtu0
– Aurora Police Department (@AuroraPD) July 26, 2020
Calls for the city to take more decisive action in response to McClain’s death have persisted in Aurora for months. McClain died last August after being stopped by three white officers from the Aurora Police Department while walking home from a convenience store. The circumstances surrounding his death have drawn more attention in light of the police murder of George Floyd on May 25 and the protests that sparked across the country.
Colorado government Jared Polis
Jared Schutz Polis Colorado bars and restaurants sue the governor for “not drinking alcohol after 10 p.m.” Colorado driver who allegedly hit the protester with a car charged with assault Some Republicans dig against the mask mandate as the bipartisan consensus in favor grows MORE (D) in June ordered his office to reexamine McClain’s death.
Saturday’s protest came as people gathered in cities across the United States to show solidarity with protesters who have clashed with federal law enforcement in Portland, Oregon, in recent weeks.
Hundreds of protesters reportedly marched on Interstate 225 before they gathered outside the Aurora Municipal Center. Aurora police declared an “illegal protest” Saturday night after protesters smashed the windows of a city courthouse and set fire to the building.
Police said in a series of tweets that they were able to extinguish the fire before it spread to any other location in the building. The department said that “while most of the protesters were peaceful, a group decided to hijack the message tonight and cause significant damage to the courthouse and courtyard.”
The riots reflected tensions in cities like Portland and Seattle, where local police declared riots. In Portland, protesters broke a fence in front of federal court, prompting federal agents to deploy tear gas.
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