Stafford Deputies Fire Tear Gas On Fredericksburg Protesters

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — The Stafford County Sheriff's Office fired tear gas at a large group of protesters who were on the Falmouth Bridge Monday demonstrating against the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and police violence. The tear gas left many of the protesters with burning eyes and trouble breathing. The bridge connects Fredericksburg with Stafford County.

Fredericksburg City Manager Tim Baroody imposed a curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. beginning Monday evening and continuing through Wednesday morning. The curfew prohibits residents of the city from leaving their homes except for medical emergencies and residents going to jobs.

Fredericksburg Police Chief said Monday in a statement that if residents "do not obey our orders, we will work to enforce the curfew to maintain our community's safety and order."

The police department said it will stand with "peaceful protesters" and "will not let agitators hinder your freedom."

Earlier Monday, Fredericksburg Fire Chief Mike Jones contended that "bad actors from outside the area" were "inject[ing] themselves with the intent to spread hate and criminal actions." Public officials across the nation have been making similar claims, blaming "outside agitators" for protests.

During the protest on Falmouth Bridge, one car heading north on the bridge had its window broken in by a protester as it made its way through the protesters. Protesters then started yelling "peaceful protest" after the car window was busted in and then cleared a way for the rest of the traffic on the bridge to continue on.

The mostly peaceful protests on Monday against police violence followed a demonstration Sunday where the Fredericksburg police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd twice.

On Monday, though, the Fredericksburg police department tweeted it did not fire tear gas at any person during Monday's protests.

The University of Mary Washington Police Department, along with the Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office, the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office, and the Virginia State Police, have been working with the Fredericksburg police to quell the protests.