LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - The Latest on a grand jury’s decision not to indict police officers on criminal charges directly related to Breonna Taylor’s death: (all times EDT)
11:15 p.m.
A protest has ended outside a Louisville church where demonstrators had rallied against a grand jury decision in the Breonna Taylor case.
Several dozen demonstrators left the First Unitarian Church around 11 p.m. Thursday after a negotiated end to a tense confrontation. Police who had gathered there with riot gear also pulled back.
Several arrests had been made earlier that evening at an intersection outside the church. But there appeared to be no police interference as the protest disbanded.
Demonstrator Nicole Aghaaliandastjerdi said she knew several people taken into custody and believes they were arrested unfairly.
“I am not sad, I am angry,” she said, vowing to return downtown Friday to help her friends get out of jail.
The latest demonstrations erupted after the announcement Wednesday that no police officers had been directly charged in the fatal shooting of Taylor. The Black woman was killed during a police raid gone wrong in March.
____
10:50 p.m.
Several arrests have been made near a downtown Louisville church where people protesting a grand jury decision in the Breonna Taylor case had gathered.
Among those arrested Thursday night was state Rep. Attica Scott. The Louisville Democrat, who has served in the legislature since 2017, has pushed for legislation outlawing no-knock warrants criticized by protesters. Her Facebook page includes open calls for justice for Taylor, a Black woman killed during a police raid gone wrong last March.
About 200 people remained in the area outside the First Unitarian Church, where demonstrators apparently took refuge to avoid arrest for violating a nighttime curfew. Some taunted officers in riot gear who stood nearby.
The stone gothic-style church was built in the late 19th century and is known for its progressive ideology. A large Black Lives Matter banner hangs outside it.
No police officers were directly charged by a grand jury in the fatal shooting of Taylor.
____
10 p.m.
Lavel White, a regular protester in downtown Louisville, says he felt drawn to the latest Breonna Taylor march because he was devastated by the grand jury decision in the case.
He felt angry that the months had passed before Wednesday’s announcement.
No police officers were directly charged in the fatal shooting of Taylor, a Black woman killed during a police drug raid gone wrong last March.
White said officials left the city on edge, waiting so long for such disappointing news.
“My wife is a Black woman and I’m a Black man. So they can just barge in my house and kill me and get away with it?” he asked.
He ended up at a church where scores of protesters had gathered Thursday night as police with riot gear stood nearby.
___
9:35 p..m
A speaker addressing protesters gathered for the Breonna Taylor case that anyone who leaves their spot outside a Louisville church could face arrest. Riot police could be seen nearby.
Scores of people gathered Thursday night outside the First Unitarian Church on Thursday night and remained after a 9 p.m. curfew took hold. Police in riot gear were lined up on the opposite of an empty parking lot across the street from the side of the church.
It was the second night of protests over a grand jury decision in the killing of Taylor, a Black woman shot in a police raid gone wrong. The grand jury on Wednesday didn’t bring homicide charges against the white officers who burst into her Louisville apartment during a drug investigation in March.
____
9:05 p.m.
Scores of demonstrators have gathered in Louisville, despite a nighttime curfew and nearby police in riot gear, marking a second night of protests in the Breonna Taylor case.
The curfew took hold at 9 p.m. Thursday in the Kentucky city as the protesters met up at the First Unitarian Church. Police in riot gear could be seen blocking nearby streets. People in the crowd chanted “Black Lives Matter.”
Before the march began, protester Shameka Parrish-Wright told the crowd to stay together and take care of each other if they were met with force.
“We want to show the country and the world what we’re about,” Parrish-Wright said. Police blocked roads as they marched. Police, meanwhile, were seen nearby and patrol cars blocked some roads. There was no immediate signs of a confrontation.
___
8:45 p.m.
Protesters have gathered in Rochester, New York, following a grand jury’s decision to not charge officers in the killing of Breonna Taylor, the Black woman in Kentucky whose death garnered global attention.
“We are outraged by yet another failure of the legal system,” said a statement from Free the People Rochester, an organizer of the demonstration.
The group said on Instagram early Thursday that it was inviting people to the protest. “The grand jury’s decision to not hold Breonna Taylor’s murderers accountable tells us that as long as the police exist, Black lives will be devalued and endangered.”
News outlet WROC-TV reports crowds gathered in the city Thursday night listened to Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come.”
A grand jury Wednesday didn’t bring homicide charges against the officers who burst into her apartment during a drug investigation in March.
___
5:40 p.m.
Kentucky’s governor has condemned the shooting of two Louisville police officers and is calling for protesters to be peaceful after the decision not to charge officers in the killing of Breonna Taylor.
Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday that “the answer to violence can never be violence.”
Beshear says he spoke with President Donald Trump on Wednesday night after the officers were wounded during demonstrations in Kentucky’s largest city over a grand jury decision in the case of Taylor, a Black woman killed during a police raid gone wrong.
Protests erupted in Louisville and in other cities nationwide overnight after the police officers involved in the raid weren’t directly criminally charged in her fatal shooting.
Beshear said the president offered federal assistance if needed, but says they agreed at the time that the city and state had “appropriate levels” of law enforcement on the scene.
___
5 p.m.
Protests turned violent in some U.S. cities Wednesday night, hours after the grand jury decision in the Breonna Taylor case in Kentucky.
Police in Seattle made 13 arrests as authorities said people smashed windows and spray painted buildings. Multiple officers were injured and one was struck in the head with a baseball bat, cracking his helmet.
In a statement, Seattle police also said they were aware of a video that apparently shows a bike officer’s bike rolling over the head of someone in the street. The incident will be investigated, authorities said.
In Portland, Oregon, people hurled Molotov cocktails at officers. Thirteen were arrested. Denver police said a man was detained after driving his car through a group of protesters. Police said no injuries were reported there.
Cities around the country saw protesters take to the streets following a Kentucky grand jury’s decision to not indict officers directly in Taylor’s fatal shooting.
___
3:45 p.m.
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Amy McGrath says there is a need to “tackle the systemic racism” in the U.S.
McGrath is challenging U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in Kentucky’s November election. She met in downtown Louisville on Thursday with some of the protesters who have taken to the streets to seek justice for Breonna Taylor.
Demonstrators turned out Wednesday in Louisville and throughout the country to express their disappointment that police officers weren’t criminally charged in her fatal shooting during a botched drug raid in March.
McGrath called for Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron to release details about the evidence presented to the grand jury in the Taylor case. She faced pushback from some protesters. Rose Henderson says McGrath’s appearance was “all about politics and cameras.”
___
2:05 p.m.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany says she’s not aware of any conversation between President Donald Trump and the family of Breonna Taylor but that their hearts go out to her family.
Asked what the president’s message is to Taylor’s family, McEnany said what happened is “a horrible tragedy” and that their hearts are also with the two police officers who were shot Wednesday night during protests in Louisville.
Cities around the country saw protesters take to the streets following a Kentucky grand jury’s decision to not indict officers in Taylor’s fatal shooting.
___
HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE BREONNA TAYLOR CASE:
A Kentucky grand jury has brought no charges against Louisville police for the killing of Breonna Taylor during a drug raid gone wrong. Prosecutors said Wednesday that two officers who fired their weapons at the Black woman were justified in using force to protect themselves. Instead, the only charges brought by the grand jury were three counts of wanton endangerment against fired Officer Brett Hankison for shooting into Taylor’s neighbors’ homes. Taylor was shot multiple times by officers who burst into her home on March 13 during a narcotics investigation.
Read more:
- Black attorney general chokes up during Taylor announcement
— A timeline of events related to the death of Breonna Taylor
- Celebrities decry decision in Breonna Taylor case
HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
1:40 p.m.
An online news publisher says two of its reporters were arrested during protests in Louisville after a grand jury’s decision to not indict officers in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor.
Daily Caller publisher Neil Patel says the two reporters for the news site were peacefully doing their jobs Wednesday night but police refused to release them.
Police on Thursday confirmed that Shelby Talcott was charged with failure to disperse and unlawful assembly and Jorge Ventura was charged with failure to disperse and violation of curfew. No further details were immediately released.
Cities around the country saw protesters take to the streets following a Kentucky grand jury’s decision.
___
12:20 p.m.
An arrest citation says video has been recovered that shows 26-year-old Larynzo Johnson shooting at two police officers who were wounded during protests in Louisville over a grand jury’s decision in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor.
The citation says Johnson was among a crowd in downtown Louisville that had been told to disperse after setting fires and causing property damage. The citation says Johnson intentionally fired multiple times at officers, hitting two of them.
Johnson has been charged with two counts of assault on a police officer and multiple charges of wanton endangerment of police officers.
Interim Police Chief Robert Schroeder said the two officers are “doing well and will survive their injuries.” Maj. Aubrey Gregory was shot in the hip and was treated and released from the hospital. Officer Robinson Desrouches was shot in the abdomen and underwent surgery.
___
11:45 a.m.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says peaceful protests honor Breonna Taylor’s memory but he’s condemning violence that erupted after a grand jury didn’t indict officers in Taylor’s fatal shooting.
The Kentucky Republican on Thursday called on the state’s governor and Louisville’s mayor, both Democrats, to take “every necessary step” to secure peace in the state’s largest city.
Two Louisville police officers were shot Wednesday night during protests. McConnell called the shootings acts of “despicable cowardice that must be met with the full force of the law.”
McConnell is running for reelection this year and also says he has full confidence in Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s “painstaking pursuit of facts and justice” in the Taylor case.
___
11:35 a.m.
Interim Louisville Police Chief Robert Schroeder says two of the officers involved in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor remain on administrative leave.
Officers Myles Cosgrove and Jonathan Mattingly were among the officers who burst into Taylor’s apartment on March 13 and Schroeder said Thursday morning they have not returned to active duty.
The third officer, Brett Hankison, was fired after the shooting and was charged Wednesday for shooting into neighboring apartments.
___
11:15 a.m.
Louisville’s police chief says a man has been charged in the shooting of two officers during protests over a grand jury’s decision in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor.
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer says one officer was treated and released with a leg wound. Another officer was shot in the abdomen and the mayor says he’s doing well after surgery.
Officials also say a curfew remains in effect for the next two nights after fires and and violence against police officers during protests.
Cities around the country saw protesters take to the streets following a Kentucky grand jury’s decision.
___
11:05 a.m.
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer says two officers shot during protests over a grand jury’s decision to not indict officers in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor are doing well.
Fischer says one officer was was treated and released with a leg wound. Another officer was shot in the abdomen and the mayor says he’s doing well after surgery.
Cities around the country saw protesters take to the streets following a Kentucky grand jury’s decision.
___
10:55 a.m.
Cities around the country saw protesters take to the streets following a Kentucky grand jury’s decision to not indict officers in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor.
Police in Seattle made 13 arrests as authorities said people smashed windows and spray-painted buildings. Seattle police say multiple officers were injured Wednesday night and one was hit in the head with a baseball bat, cracking his helmet.
In Minnesota, several hundred demonstrators rallied late Wednesday at the state Capitol in St. Paul before marching onto an interstate. Protesters denounced what they said was a criminal justice system that has failed to hold the officers accountable for Taylor’s death.
In Denver, police say a man was detained Wednesday night after driving his car through a group of people protesting. Police said no injuries were reported. The Denver Post reported that at least one person was hit near the state Capitol but she said she wasn’t badly hurt.
___
9:30 a.m.
Police in Portland say protesters hurled Molotov cocktails at officers in Oregon’s largest city during a demonstration over a Kentucky grand jury’s decision to not indict officers in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor.
In a statement, police say the protesters Wednesday night also threw rocks that shattered windows at a law enforcement precinct station. One officer was hit on the foot with a Molotov cocktail but a fire department medic managed to extinguish the flames.
Portland has been gripped by protests for four months since the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. There were no immediate reports of injuries or arrests during the clashes Wednesday night.
___
9 a.m.
Crews in yellow jackets are cleaning up around downtown Louisville on Thursday morning after protesters filled the streets the night before following a grand jury’s decision to not indict officers in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor.
Video showed crews sweeping up garbage and putting it into garbage trucks.
Police say 127 people were arrested. A police statement says some were arrested after damaging businesses and more were detained after jumping on city vehicles being used as barricades. Later, protesters who refused orders to disperse were arrested for curfew and unlawful assembly violations. Police also say some businesses were looted.
___
7:30 a.m.
Police say they’ve made 127 arrests in Louisville, Kentucky, after protests over the grand jury’s decision to not indict officers in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor.
A police statement early Thursday says some were arrested after damaging businesses and more were detained after jumping on city vehicles being used as barricades. Later, protesters who refused orders to disperse were arrested for curfew and unlawful assembly violations.
Police also said some businesses were looted early Thursday including two City Gear stores and a pawn shop. No further information was released about a suspect accused of shooting two officers while demonstrations were ongoing.
Police said one of them underwent surgery and both are expected to survive.
___
1:30 a.m.
In downtown Portland, Oregon, the site of months of demonstrations against police brutality, several hundred people held a rally in the rain Wednesday night in front of the Multnomah County Justice Center, the Oregonian/Oregonlive.com reported.
A drum line played in rhythm with chants of “Whose life mattered? Breonna Taylor!”
Several Black women addressed the crowd and encouraged people to vote and continue pressing for change, the newspaper reported.
___
11:30 p.m.
Police say they have deployed chemical agents on Atlanta protesters demonstrating against a grand jury’s decision not to indict police officers for the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor.
Georgia State Patrol Spokesperson Franka Young has told The Associated Press the chemical agents were fired after “some unruly protesters” attempted to climb on top of a SWAT vehicle that was stationed in the city.
“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 said. Some protesters were also arrested after refusing orders to disperse from roads and to walk on sidewalks, Young said. It is not clear how many people were arrested. Young said many protesters had followed police orders.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.