Officers Shot As Protesters Decry Breonna Taylor Jury Decision

LOUISVILLE, KY — At least two officers were shot Wednesday night as police in riot gear clashed with protesters gathered over a grand jury's decision earlier in the day not to indict police officers on criminal charges directly related to Breonna Taylor's death.

Interim Louisville Police Chief Robert Schroeder confirmed the shootings to CNN. According to Schroeder, the two officers sustained non-life-threatening injuries after responding to reports of gunfire

The department has a suspect in custody, Schroeder told CNN.

An hour before a citywide 9 p.m. curfew went into effect, at least 29 people had been arrested, the police department told WFPL.

Hundreds of protesters gathered in Jefferson Square after former Louisville police detective Brett Hankison was indicted by a grand jury with three counts of wanton endangerment for shooting into neighboring apartments during a March 13 police raid that left 26-year-old Taylor dead.

Charges were not brought against the two other police officers involved in her death.

The confrontation between police and protesters grew contentious after protesters moved a barricade at Sixth and Market streets, WFPL reported. Police arrived and made a riot line, but someone threw a glass bottle at the police that broke near their feet.

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Police also reportedly set off flash bang devices to clear Jefferson Square, according to the Associated Press. In an announcement over a loudspeaker, Louisville police called the gathering an “unlawful assembly” and ordered demonstrators to disperse.

The police threatened to make arrests if people did not comply.

A fire was set near the courthouse but was quickly extinguished, according to AP. Police then lined up with shields outside of the courthouse, and demonstrators threw plastic water bottles at the officers.

Taylor was shot and killed as part of a narcotics investigation, when Hankison and two other officers fired multiple gunshots into her home.

Protesters in Louisville and across the country have demanded justice for Taylor and other Black people killed by police in recent months.

The release in late May of a 911 call placed by Taylor's boyfriend marked the beginning of days of protests in Louisville, fueled by her shooting and the violent death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25.

Wednesday's sole grand jury indictment led to backlash from public officials, among others, that the charges against Hankison alone were not enough.

"Our criminal justice system is racist," Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Democratic candidate for president in the 2016 and 2020 primary seasons, said.

"Breonna Taylor's life mattered. This result is a disgrace and an abdication of justice."

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