Suspect Arrested After Man Shot Dead At US Protest Over Breonna Taylor Killing

A suspect has been arrested after a man was killed at a demonstration against the death of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky.
Police cordon off the area after a fatal shooting at Jefferson Square Park, in Louisville on Saturday.
Police cordon off the area after a fatal shooting at Jefferson Square Park, in Louisville on Saturday.
MAXWELL MITCHELL via REUTERS

A suspect has been arrested after a man was shot dead during a protest in the US state of Kentucky over the police killing of Breonna Taylor, police said.

Tyler Charles Gerth, 27, died after being shot at Jefferson Square Park in Louisville, Kentucky on Saturday.

A crowd had gathered at the park to protest against the March 13 death of Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman who was shot eight times by police officers who burst into her home using a no-knock warrant during a narcotics investigation.

No drugs were found at Taylor’s home.

Video footage captured at the scene of the incident appeared to show the suspect surrounded by several people before shots were fired, sending those in the area scrambling for cover.

In another video, one man can be seen bleeding on the floor, surrounded by frantic protesters urging bystanders to call emergency services.

A police officer, wearing a tactical vest, gestures for people to step back after the shooting.
A police officer, wearing a tactical vest, gestures for people to step back after the shooting.
MAXWELL MITCHELL via REUTERS

In a statement, Louisville Metro police said there were reports of shots fired in Jefferson Square Park at around 9pm on Saturday.

They added that Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department had tried to resuscitate a man who later died. Another victim was taken to hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

The suspect was admitted to hospital and is being interviewed by investigators, interim Louisville Police Chief Robert Schroeder said.

“He had been repeatedly asked by other members at the park to leave due to his destructive behaviour,” said Schroeder.

The shooting on Saturday was at least the second during nearly a month of protests in Louisville over the death of Taylor, PA media reported.

It came after the city’s mayor announced one of the three officers involved in her death will be fired.

Many Black Lives Matter protesters have called for the police who killed Taylor to be arrested, especially in the wake of the arrest of former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin, who killed George Floyd in May – sparking huge demonstrations worldwide.

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