Protests erupted in Atlanta, Portland, New York, Los Angeles and Louisville on Wednesday night (Sept 23) after a grand jury failed to indict officers Jonathan Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove in the case of Breonna Taylor.
According to the Louisville Metro Police Department, 127 protesters were arrested overnight for various charges, including damaging businesses. Police also say some shops were looted early Thursday morning (Sept. 24). Video from the night’s protests showed city vehicles being used as barricades and a fire that started near the Louis D. Brandeis Hall of Justice.
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer imposed a citywide curfew on Wednesday from 9 pm to 6:30 am on Thursday, local time.
“It’s important for everyone in our community to be safe, as much of the unfortunate violence that’s occurred in recent months has happened overnight,” the mayor tweeted. “Please begin heading home.”
As reported by REVOLT, at least two LMPD officers were shot during the protest. As of Thursday morning, Associated Press reports that one of the cops has undergone surgery and both are expected to survive. A suspect, Larynzo Johnson, was arrested in connection with the shooting and has been charged with two counts of assault on a police officer and multiple counts of wanton endangerment.
In Atlanta, police deployed chemical agents against protesters who had assembled in frustration over the lack of criminal charges in Taylor’s case. Georgia State Patrol Spokesperson Frank Young told AP chemical agents were used on “some unruly protesters” after they attempted to climb on top of a SWAT vehicle.
“They were given orders to get off of the vehicle and when they ignored the orders, the SWAT team was forced to utilize less lethal gas to deter them,” Young told the outlet.
Young further said that other protesters were arrested for disobeying police orders, but that the majority of demonstrators remained peaceful.
In downtown Portland, several hundred people assembled in front of the Multnomah County Justice Center, The Oregonian reported. According to the outlet, protesters chanted, “Whose life mattered? Breonna Taylor!”
On Wednesday, Brett Hankison was the only officer indicted over the fatal March raid. The former LMPD cop was charged with three counts of wanton endangerment for firing multiple shots at Taylor’s and neighboring apartments. Each count carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Neither Mattingly nor Cosgrove, the latter whose shots killed Taylor, were indicted. None of the charges were directly related to Taylor’s actual death.
See pictures and video from protests across the country below.