A shooting was reported Saturday night at a protest organized for the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor.
What We Know:
- Protests turned ruinous, as video footage showed over a dozen rounds fired into a crowd protesting the murder of Breonna Taylor at Jefferson Square Park.
- Footage showed a man firing shots that sent protesters scrambling for shelter among tents and park benches. The police cleared the park to investigate the shooting, and protesters will no longer be allowed to camp or set up tents at Jefferson Square Park.
Louisville Kentucky, protest camp shooting, not sure who is shooting at who, but they now want the cops pic.twitter.com/hCmSLNal0x
— freezerohedge (@freezerohedge) June 28, 2020
- “We just felt the situation that culminated with last night’s shooting has become too dangerous to allow this type of activity to continue any longer,” said Chief of Public Services Amy Hess.
- The city has stated prior “no camping” policies at the park, but had intentionally overlooked them in order to allow protestors to “demand change”. But when violence broke out in the camp, the tents made it “especially difficult for law enforcement to discern what was happening,” Hess said.
- On Sunday, an arrest citation identified the shooter as 27-year-old Steven Lopez. It was reported by police that Lopez had been to many protests prior to, but was escorted out due to “disruptive behavior”.
- Saturday’s shooting lead to the death of 27-year-old photographer Tyler Gerth. Mayor Greg Fischer of Louisville said that Mr. Lopez had shot no one else on Saturday aside from Mr. Gerth. Mr. Lopez was wounded in the leg by gunfire from bystanders at the park who were defending themselves, according to his citation.
- Mr. Lopez is currently in police custody at a hospital. According to the arrest citation, Lopez has been charged with murder and first-degree wanton endangerment.
In lieu of the violence that happened over the weekend, protestors returned to the park to organize a remembrance of Gerth.
