After declaring a state of emergency in anticipation of a decision that was bound to be controversial, the city of Louisville has experienced turmoil that has only intensified following the announcement that only one out of three officers was charged in relation to the Breonna Taylor case and not for her death.
Crowds quickly formed nationwide, with sizable groups of protesters in Los Angeles, New York, and Atlanta. In Louisville, tensions reached a boiling point after two police officers were shot in the midst of a heated standoff. Two LMPD officers were taken to hospital, with one entering surgery after being shot in the abdomen.
The suspect, 26 year-old Larynzo Johnson, was quickly apprehended after "intentionally [using] a handgun to fire multiple bullets at officers" near the area of East Broadway and South Brook St in Louisville. In response to the shooting, police started declaring all other gatherings elsewhere in the city "unlawful assemblies" and threatened to arrest uncomplying protesters or subdue them with chemical weapons.
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Johnson reportedly has "no prior arrests for violent crimes or felony convictions." He was charged with two counts of first-degree assault on a police officer and fourteen counts of first-degree wanton endangerment. Ironically, he received the same charges filed against Brett Hankison, the sole charged officer in the case, for the shots he let out that failed to hit a target.
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