Four police officers were shot in St. Louis, Missouri, on Tuesday as protests and riots continued in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd over Memorial Day weekend, while another officer is on life support in Nevada.
More than 2,000 people were out marching in downtown St. Louis Monday, but shortly after midnight, four officers were gunned down. All four, though, are said to not have sustained life-threatening wounds, according to local reports.
Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley called the shootings “despicable.”
“The perpetrators who attacked them last night must be brought to justice. And we must bring order to our cities and towns now. Violence threatens to destroy the fabric of our communities and undermine our ability to live and act together. Every American has a right to assemble and protest peaceably, but mindless violence is not protest, it is further injustice that harms us all,” the Missouri Republican said.
In Nevada, an officer was also shot when protests there turned violent with rioters throwing rocks and bottles at the cops along the Las Vegas Strip. The officer is on life support.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Joseph Lombardo told reporters the police officer was “gravely wounded.”
“Officers were attempting to get some of the protesters in custody when a shot went out, and our officer went down,” Sheriff Lobardo said. “This is a sad night for the LVMPD family.”
The suspect is currently in custody.
Floyd, an unarmed black man, was killed while in police custody in Minneapolis.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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