Man charged with murder over shooting at Breonna Taylor protest in Kentucky
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Police in Louisville, Kentucky, have arrested a suspect in a fatal shooting at a protest over the death of Breonna Taylor in Jefferson Square Park on Saturday night, per the Wall Street Journal.
What's new: Steven Nelson Lopez was charged with murder and wanton endangerment following the death of 27-year-old photographer Tyler Charles Gerth, per AP, which reports authorities saying the suspect "had taken part in demonstrations but was disruptive and had been asked by other protesters to leave."
- Homicide investigators have interviewed the suspect, who's being treated in hospital for a gunfire injury to the leg after bystanders shot back, AP reports.
Zoom in: Video from the scene shows a man at the park's edge firing several shots, forcing protesters to scramble for cover. Louisville Metro Police Department said in a statement that Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department personnel "performed life-saving measures" on Gerth, but he died at the scene.
What they're saying: Mayor Greg Fischer tweeted: "I am deeply saddened by the violence that erupted in Jefferson Square Park tonight, where those who have been voicing their concerns have been gathered. It is a tragedy that this area of peaceful protest is now a crime scene."
The big picture: The March 13 death of Taylor, a 26-year-old African American emergency medical technician, prompted protests across Louisville. Her killing has since become a focal point of the Black Lives Matter protests.
- Louisville police officer Brett Hankison was fired last Tuesday for "blindly" firing 10 bullets into Taylor's apartment, the police department announced.
- The Justice Department is investigating Taylor's shooting.
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
