Three Black militia NFAC members accidentally shot by fellow protester during Breonna Taylor march in Kentucky
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY: Multiple gunshot injuries were reported in downtown Louisville after a member of an armed black military group accidentally discharged a firearm while marching to a demonstration. Earlier reports suggested that the shots were fired during an argument between the Atlanta-based ‘Not F*****g Around Coalition' (NFAC) and a far-right militia 'Three Percenters' that had gathered nearby. However, it later emerged that a member of NFAC had accidentally fired on his comrades while the group was assembling in Baxter Park.
At least 350 armed members of the NFAC marched toward the main protest site in downtown Louisville, where about 50 members of the Three Percenters had already gathered. The leader of the NFAC vowed just hours after the shooting that they would return to the city and "burn this motherf****r down" if authorities did not wrap up the investigation into the death of Breonna Taylor in four weeks' time.
In an impassioned speech from the steps of the Metro Hall Saturday afternoon, John 'Grandmaster Jay' Johnson encouraged the group to take action if "the truth" about her death wasn't made public. Johnson alleged that detectives were looking to manipulate the crime scene to cover up what happened to Taylor, the 26-year-old EMT who was killed during a no-knock police raid on her apartment on March 13.
Johnson later called members of the armed militia to take an oath that they would take action if his ultimatum was not met. "I would ask anyone who is not a member of the NFAC to turn and face them," Johnson told other protestors who were dressed in black. He then made NFAC members promise that they would always protect black lives. "I will never allow the murder of another black man, woman, or child, whether the killer is white or black. I am the NFC, for life, m**********r" they chanted after Johnson.
Baxter Park was the staging area for NFAC members on Saturday before their scheduled march toward Jefferson Square Park near City Hall, where they would face off with approximately 50 members of the Three Percenters militia. While Louisville authorities formed a barricade to separate the two opposing groups, no violence was initiated by either camp. However, five people were arrested for charges such as obstructing a highway and disorderly conduct.
"It has been a tension-filled day for all of us," said Deputy Chief LaVita Chavous, as riots and violence continued to ravage the city. Chavous revealed that police were aware of the ultimatum given by NFAC leader Johnson, but chose to stand behind their right to peacefully protest. Chavous pointed out that there were many who were "hiding behind the right to peacefully assemble and using it as a platform to tear up and destroy our city."
Responding officers had expected the worst when there were reports of shots fired in Baxter Park earlier that day. The Louisville Metro Police Department later confirmed, however, that the shooting was a result of a firearm being accidentally discharged. The three wounded victims were rushed to a local hospital nearby, where they were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.