Louisville police declared an unlawful assembly Wednesday night as rioters set multiple fires around the city and broke windows.
Multiple people were arrested around 6:00 PM when an unlawful assembly was officially declared.
Another look at the scene in #Louisville. Multiple people arrested. Unlawful assembly declared. Stay tuned for more updates pic.twitter.com/xc52rdg6QU
— Jorge Ventura Media (@VenturaReport) September 23, 2020
At least 2 fires were set at the Hall of Justice around 7:45 PM. Police warned the crowd that it had been declared an unlawful assembly. (RELATED: Demonstrators Ready With U-Haul Full Of Protest Gear, Immediately React After Grand Jury’s Decision On Breonna Taylor Case)
Here’s the fire and the scene around Jefferson Park right now pic.twitter.com/4yVMoxfQN0
— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) September 23, 2020
Another fire just set at the Hall of Justice and police warn that it’s an unlawful assembly pic.twitter.com/ma8dEfXfqh
— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) September 23, 2020
Police officers briefly came out of the building to put out the fire, but retreated back after one officer was hit with an object and fell to the ground.
Police officers just came out of the Hall of Justice to put out the fires. One officer was hit with something and fell to the ground. Some in the crowd cheered.
Officers retreated back into the building pic.twitter.com/JNBbbtoT1s
— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) September 23, 2020
Multiple fires were set around the city as rioters moved down the street, including one that contained a firework. Rioters smashed windows as they marched.
Lots of windows are being smashed throughout this march. Right before the crowd left Jefferson Square, a loudspeaker announcement reminded everyone that it’s been declared an unlawful assembly pic.twitter.com/NOQ1zZpOG4
— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) September 24, 2020
The city also put in place a curfew from 9:00 PM to 6:30 AM.
Protests and riots broke out in Louisville Wednesday following the announcement that one officer who was involved in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor had been indicted. A grand jury indicted former Louisville Metro Police Department officer Brett Hankison on three counts of wanton endangerment in the first degree.
The other two officers who were on the scene, Myles Cosgrove and Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, are not facing criminal charges.
Breonna Taylor was in her apartment when she was fatally shot by police in March while they were executing a search warrant. The officers claim that Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fired at them.
Taylor’s death sparked renewed energy into what were already nationwide protests and riots. The unrest began following Geroge Floyd’s death May 25.
Editor’s note: The article originally referred to the search warrant executed by the LMPD as a “no-knock warrant.” The Kentucky AG has said that the search warrant was not executed as a “no-knock” warrant and the language in the article has been changed to reflect that.