A turbulent rally in Louisville quickly escalated into chaos, with several people injured by gunfire that rang out when protesters began to violently shake a police vehicle.
Shots were fired on Thursday evening just as hundreds of people were expressing outrage over the police killing of Breonna Taylor, a local woman, during a raid at her house in March.
The violent demonstration began shortly after the media published a 911 call from Taylor’s boyfriend, who reported the shooting. At the time, he was unaware the woman was shot by uniformed officers.
The shooting could be heard on multiple livestreams of the protest, which took place at the intersection of Jefferson and 6th Streets in Louisville.
Another angle of the shooting in #Louisville. pic.twitter.com/JDREEURNgf
The gunfire happened when protesters surrounded a police van and tried to flip it over.
Police later confirmed that at least seven people were injured, one of them critically, according to local media. The condition of the others is still unknown.
The Louisville Police Department also denied rumors that their officers fired the shots during the protest. “Some arrests” were made in connection with the shooting while the investigation is ongoing, spokeswoman Alicia Smiley said.
Meanwhile in downtown Louisville, protesters were seen erecting makeshift barricades, at times setting fire to picnic tables and garbage bins. Riot police used tear gas and pepper spray to force the crowds back.
The unrest comes as violent rallies take place in other cities, with people expressing their anger at the death of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, in police custody in Minneapolis.
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