Dozens of people were arrested Monday after protesters in Louisville parked cars on a major bridge, blocking traffic between Kentucky and Indiana for nearly three hours to demand justice for the late Breonna Taylor.
Video from a news helicopter showed protesters heading to the Clark Memorial Bridge around 11 a.m. and blocking traffic. They hung a large poster with the image of Taylor that said: “They tried to bury me. They didn’t know it was a seed. Breonna Taylor. The revolution is now. “
A protester at the scene was seen with a rifle and a rifle scope, according to a local WAVE journalist. Officers from the Louisville Metro Police Department reached protesters on the bridge at 1 pm and told them to disperse. Authorities said 33 people were arrested when they refused to comply, and 19 cars were removed.
GUN IN BREONNA TAYLOR’S PROTEST IN LOUISVILLE CAPTURED ON VIDEO; Police say Gunman was a protester
Those arrested were seen in handcuffs, sitting on the sidewalk before being detained and transported in a police van. The cranes removed the stranded vehicles.
The protest followed an incident at a tent camp in Jefferson Square Park, where gunfire erupted on Saturday; a protester had opened fire, causing chaos among the campers who were also armed. Tyler Charles Gerth, 27, a photographer from Louisville, died of a gunshot wound.
23-year-old Steven Nelson Lopez, identified by surveillance footage as the first to start shooting, pleaded not guilty to murder and nine counts of senseless danger during a arraignment hearing on Tuesday, the Courier-Journal reported. Bail for López, who was also injured in the incident, was set at $ 500,000.
On Monday, officers stood in a row at the foot of the Clark Memorial Bridge, which spans the Ohio River, to redirect traffic and prevent other protesters from interfering. A video captured by a local WHAS reporter showed an exchange between a black police officer and black protesters at the foot of the bridge.
“I have black daughters. So don’t threaten me, “the officer told protesters, making a connection between him and the police murder of Breonna Taylor.” I’m going to be angry like everyone else. ”
“You will have the right to be. But when you do stupid things, that you are no longer doing, but that other people are doing, we have to appear, “the officer continued, pointing to his companions on the scene.
Another video taken on the scene showed a black officer bowing his head to pray with a black protester. A white officer next to him also bows his head in prayer.
“We just ask God to help us find common ground here today at all levels. We only ask for peace for this city. We only ask for peace for the Breonna Taylor family, ”said the black officer.
Taylor, a 26-year-old black woman, was killed in her Louisville apartment on March 13 by plainclothes detectives who were serving an arrest warrant in a drug investigation. No drugs were found, and one of the officers was recently fired. Two other officers remain on administrative reassignment.
Calls for action against officers have grown stronger during a national trial on racism and police brutality following George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis on May 25.
Kentucky government officials said Monday they will begin an investigation into the City of Louisville’s handling of Taylor’s fatal police shooting.
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“The citizens of this community, including members of this Metro Council, are very upset with the lack of transparency perceived by the city,” said Brent Ackerson, who chairs the government oversight committee for the Louisville Metro Council. “It is our intention, as a committee, to formally begin an investigation, to attract people and obtain legitimate answers and legitimate documentation.”
Jean Porter, a spokesman for Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, said he appreciated the review. She said Fischer has already authorized a thorough review by the Louisville Metro Police Department and a separate investigation of actions related to the Taylor case.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
