US: Second night of protests in Louisville amid city's night-time curfew
Sep 25, 2020
Kentucky [US], September 25 : A few hundred people gathered around a Louisville church in Kentucky on Thursday on the second night of protests after a grand jury's decision not to indict police officers on criminal charges in the death of the African-American nurse Breonna Taylor.
Amid the nighttime curfew, demonstrators had gathered in First Unitarian Church after the Kentucky grand jury's decision to indict only one of the three police personnel in the Breonna Taylor's death, The New York Times reported.
According to the NYT, the jury's decision has drawn widespread outrage and has become a rallying cry for the Black Lives Matter movement protest across the country.
Officer Brett Hankison was charged with three lesser counts of wanton endangerment in connection to the death of Taylor, who was shot dead in a police raid at her home on March 13. The victim did not have any criminal record, The Hill reported.
Each count of wanton endangerment could carry up to five years in prison.
The two other cops -- Jonathan Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove -- fired six and 16 shots respectively. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said that Taylor was shot six times, though only one of the bullet wounds proved to be fatal.
On Wednesday, several people had expressed their disapproval and frustration over the grand jury's decision, saying more steps should have been taken. Hours after the grand jury's decision, protests broke out in Louisville with clashes taking place between the police and demonstrators.
Vehicle barricades were set up by Louisville Police in the Louisville downtown area as well as around Jefferson Square Park, the launching point for several Black Lives Matter protests, according to The Hill.
Mayor Greg Fischer announced a 72-hour curfew which began from 9 pm (local time) on Wednesday. Also, the Kentucky National Guard was pressed into service before the restrictions came into place.
