A horrifying video shows a gunman firing a flurry of shots at a Kentucky protest by his hometown woman, Breonna Taylor, leaving one man dead and the other seriously injured, according to authorities.
The gunman is seen wearing black shorts and wearing a black backpack lifting a gun in the video and opening fire, with nearly two dozen shots fired in less than a minute.
Then people were seen shrugging for refuge, with the man filming the horror gasping “OMG!” when he encountered someone lying in a pool of blood in Jefferson Square Park after the 9 pm shooting.
Louisville metro police later confirmed that one man had died and another was seriously injured.
It was unclear what weapon was used, nor if any of the shots were returned by those within the Louisville camp protesting the March police death of 26-year-old EMT Taylor.
Many protesters had arrived heavily armed on Saturday after warnings from a “patriot armed militia” that it would face protests against the police, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal.
About 30 members of the so-called “American Freedom Fighters” group appeared in town for a few hours, but never approached protesters camped in the downtown park, the newspaper said.
Hours earlier, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer had asked that counter-protesters stay away. “We don’t need you here. Our focus is to facilitate peaceful protests, ”he had tweeted a few hours before the shooting.
Early Sunday morning, Louisville police also announced they would close the camp that had become a focal point for protests over Taylor’s death.
“While most of the protesters in the park have been peaceful, things changed last night when gunshots rang out in the park, leaving one dead and one dead,” the force announced on Twitter.
“Now we are cleaning the park and it will remain clear. Peaceful meetings can continue throughout the day, but we will not allow people to spend the night, “the force said.
“We continue to support the peaceful exercise of freedom of expression. However, our primary focus must be on public safety, ”the statement emphasized.
The force said it was still “trying to gather as much information as possible to identify everyone involved in the incident.”
Information on arrests, possible suspects and the identities and ages of the victims was not immediately released. Louisville Metro Corrections’ reservation record on Sunday morning did not appear to show anyone in custody on charges related to a shooting, the Courier-Journal said.
“I am deeply saddened by the violence that erupted in Jefferson Square Park tonight, where those who have voiced their concerns have gathered,” said Mayor Fischer. “It is a tragedy that this area of peaceful protest is now a crime scene.”
Saturday night’s shooting was at least the second during nearly a month of protests in Louisville over Taylor’s death. Seven people were injured on May 28 when the gunfire erupted near the town hall, prompting a statement from Taylor’s mother asking people to demand justice “without hurting themselves.”
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