Anger, frustration and sadness over the decision not to charge Kentucky police officers in the death of Breonna Taylor poured into the streets of America as protesters lashed out at a criminal justice system they say he is against blacks. Violence swept through protests in her hometown of Louisville when shots were heard and two police officers were injured. Police said they would impose a strict curfew for the next two nights in Louisville.
Activists, celebrities and ordinary Americans have been seeking charges since white police officers shot Taylor, an emergency medical worker, multiple times after one of them was shot while breaking into her home during a narcotics investigation on March 13.
The cops had a no-hit warrant, but the investigation showed they were announced before they entered, said state attorney general Daniel Cameron, a Republican and the state’s first high-ranking black prosecutor.
A grand jury returned three counts of senseless endangerment Wednesday against fired officer Brett Hankison for shooting a house next to Taylor’s with people inside.
Protesters chanted Taylor’s name and marched in cities including New York, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, Las Vegas and Portland. People gathered in Chicago’s Millennium Park, chanting demands for justice as Michigan Avenue drivers honked their horns. Atlanta police unleashed chemical agents and made arrests after protesters attempted to get into a SWAT vehicle. In Minnesota and Wisconsin, protesters peacefully blocked traffic on the roads.
In Louisville, one of the wounded police officers was treated and released with a leg injury, while the other was shot in the abdomen and was fine after surgery. Larynzo Johnson, 26, was charged with two counts of assault on a police officer and multiple counts of senseless endangering police officers.
Biden calls for reform, Trump backs fired cops
White House hopeful Joe Biden called for police reforms in response to the grand jury’s decision. He said that while an investigation continues, “we don’t need to wait for the final judgment of that investigation to do more to bring justice to Breonna.”
US President Donald Trump tweeted that he is “praying for the two police officers who were shot” in Louisville.
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