A man was fatally shot by law enforcement in Louisville, Kentucky, during protests against the killing of George Floyd, the Independent reports.
The incident occurred at around 12:15 local time, which is an hour after a curfew that was imposed on the city after five nights of protests.
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This is according to a tweet by Stephon Dingle WLKY @Stephon_Dingle
“Man shot and killed by law enforcement at 12:15am this morning. @LMPD says shots fired at them first. Will be on the air with live coverage in 30 mins. @Marvis_WLKY will be reporting on the scene this morning. @WLKY”
BREAKING: Man shot and killed by law enforcement at 12:15am this morning. @LMPD says shots fired at them first. Will be on the air with live coverage in 30 mins. @Marvis_WLKY will be reporting on the scene this morning. @WLKY pic.twitter.com/vclpiYIzGI
— Stephon Dingle WLKY (@Stephon_Dingle) June 1, 2020
Reports say that local police officers and the National Guard were attempting to break up a gathering in a parking lot outside a grocery store when they were fired upon from the crowd. They returned fire, and one person was at some point shot dead.
“The @LMPD police chief said officers were trying to clear a large crowd in parking lot before being fire upon.”
The chief of the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department, Steve Conrad, told local media that several persons of interest are being interviewed. Futher information is expected later today.
“The chief said they are currently interviewing several persons of interests and will provide news update this afternoon. He took no questions from the press. @WLKY”
The @LMPD police chief said officers were trying to clear a large crowd in parking lot before being fire upon. The chief said they are currently interviewing several persons of interests and will provide news update this afternoon. He took no questions from the press. @WLKY
— Stephon Dingle WLKY (@Stephon_Dingle) June 1, 2020
Sunday night’s shooting comes just days after seven people were injured by gunfire at another protest in the city, this one focused on the killing of Breonna Taylor, a black woman shot in her apartment by police in March during a drug raid.
The details of the raid are still a matter of dispute, and the officers involved claim that Ms Taylor was shot inavertently.
The shots fired at that protest came from within the crowd, and no police officers were reported to have fired their guns.
The death of George Floyd, after a police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes, has sparked protests across the US, many of which have seen vandalism and looting, with police using pepper spray, flash grenades and rubber bullets.
Several cities have called in the National Guard and imposed curfews to try and control the situation.
