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Renewed Unrest After Officers in Breonna Taylor Case Cleared of Criminal Charges

Demonstrators outside of Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Photo: Getty Images

On Wednesday, a grand jury in Kentucky announced that none of the officers who shot and killed Breonna Taylor would face criminal charges, though one detective, Brett Hankinson, was indicted on three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment — because the shots he fired went through Taylor’s apartment and into the home of a pregnant neighbor. The two other officers in the homicide will face no charges.

On Wednesday night, protests in major U.S. cities — ongoing since the police killing of George Floyd — found renewed energy, as demonstrators rejected the grand jury’s decision and called for justice for the 26-year-old. Below is everything we know about the unrest across the country.

Two officers were reportedly shot in Louisville

After the charges against Hankinson were announced, demonstrations immediately broke out in the city in which Taylor was killed:

According to a police spokesperson, two Louisville officers were shot during the protests. Both officers are reportedly stable and one is in surgery. According to the New York Times, at least one protester was shot in the neck with a projectile. Shortly before 8 p.m., an unlawful assembly was reportedly declared:

Protesters in downtown Louisville were infuriated by the fact that Hankinson, the only officer charged, was required to post a bond of just $15,000. “That’s it?” one person yelled.

Kentucky governor Andy Beshar calls in the National Guard

On Wednesday night, Governor Andy Beshar authorized 500 National Guard members to be deployed to provide “civil disturbance support” during the demonstrations. According to a guard spokesman, they will protect “critical infrastructure sites,” including hospitals, in the city. Beshear said that his goal was to keep the deployment “limited.”

Thousands protested in New York

Protesters assembled at Barclays Center in Brooklyn and at 59th Street and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan; the two groups eventually combined in lower Manhattan.

Police use tear gas on protesters in Atlanta

Tear gas was reportedly used on demonstrators at the capitol building in Atlanta on Wednesday night:

Breonna Taylor Decision Causes Protests Nationwide