Police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor protests [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• As people rallied for justice for Breonna Taylor in the downtown streets of Louisville, authorities reported that two officers were shot in the same area late Wednesday.
• Of the three officers involved in the March shooting of Taylor, one was charged with “wanton endangerment” while the two others’ use of force was deemed justified.
• Louisville protesters were later joined by other supporters in cities like Washington and New York.

Louisville Metro Police Department told local news outlets that two officers were shot in downtown Louisville late Wednesday, where people took to the streets condemning the lack of murder charges for the cops involved in the killing of Breonna Taylor, who was Black. 

Although details of the shooting were unclear, authorities said both officers were taken to a hospital. The local FBI SWAT team is reportedly assisting in the investigation.

Earlier Wednesday, hundreds of people in Louisville, Kentucky, gathered in Louisville’s Jefferson Square Park and marched in the downtown streets after a Kentucky judge charged Det. Brett Hankison, one of the three officers involved, with “wanton endangerment.”

As for the two other officers — Jonathan Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove — Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said their use of force was justified. There were no murder charges for all three officers.

Outraged by the announcement, protesters across other cities, including Washington, New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Atlanta, joined in with several activists to call for justice for Taylor. They also pointed out that injustice against Black women doesn’t get as much public outrage as when it involves men.

Videos from reporters at the scene showed police arresting protesters within hours of the start of demonstrations in Louisville. Police were shown hitting the people with batons and firing “pepper balls” while tackling them.

In March, Louisville police conducted a narcotics investigation at the apartment of 26-year-old Taylor. Although the search warrant did not involve Taylor and her boyfriend, who were both sleeping at the time, three white officers fired over 20 shots, several of which hit Taylor and killed her.

Her boyfriend, who shot one of the officers in the leg, said he did not hear the police announce their presence before breaking into their apartment.

In a statement, Taylor’s family attorney, Ben Crump, described the lack of charges “outrageous and offensive.”

“It’s yet another example of no accountability for the genocide of persons of color by white police officers,” he said, and added that Hankison should have been charged for “wanton murder.”

Mattingly and Cosgrove were placed on paid administrative leave. Following widespread protests, Hankison was dismissed three months after the killing.

Nationwide protests against racism and police violence erupted since the May killing of George Floyd, a Black man, by police in Minneapolis. 

Source: AOL.Com