Louisville gunman seen waving weapon after shooting 2 cops, firing 14 times in video of Breonna Taylor protest
New video footage has revealed the moments when a gunman opened fire on police officers in Louisville during violent demonstrations on Wednesday even as protesters there took to the streets for the third night in a row, DailyMail reports. In the footage, the man in a multicolored hoodie waves a handgun and after reaching over the head of another protester opens fire. Major Aubrey Gregory and Officer Robinson Desroches were among the injured. Gregory was shot in the hip and has been released from the hospital; Desroches, who was shot in the abdomen and required emergency surgery, is expected to be stable soon. Larynzo D. Johnson was arrested at the scene and charged with 14 counts of wanton endangerment and two counts of assault on a police officer. According to the police, he was armed with a handgun and was identified by witnesses as the shooter.
The shootings unfolded during the first night of protests after the grand jury decision not to directly charge officers in the police shooting death of Breonna Taylor during a search warrant raid in March. One witness to the scene has come forth with testimony that the police deployed a 'flash bang' to disperse the crowd, and a protester came behind and opened fire, a few feet away. "I heard two gun shots right behind me, I turned around, this all happened within a second or two," the witness, who asked not to be named, told WLKY-TV.
"I saw the shooter wearing a bright tie-dye hoodie. He was shooting directly at the police and fired about 2 or 3 shots while running then fired more shots then ran down the alley way 44," he said.
The charges can come under murder, if the facts substantiate the claims, according to the Jefferson County Office of the Commonwealth. On Friday night, fury was unleashed over the grand jury decision in the Taylor case in Louisville, which now witnessed a third night of protest. Demonstrators in Louiseville claimed 'sanctuary' at a church after a 9 pm curfew went into effect. More than 100 people gathered at the First Unitarian Church, where the clergy helped them dodge arrest by using an exemption for churches in the city's emergency curfew order. Some of the demonstrators chanted "say her name, Breonna Taylor" and "You can't stop the revolution." Videos apparently showed church members preparing a delicious feast for the crowd, as demonstrators mingled inside and outside the church. Many of the BLM supporters had tactical shotguns and AR-15 rifles, according to the video.
Just before midnight, the police surrounded the church. A church leader said police had arrived after reports of an armed militia in the area, referring to the armed Black Lives Matter supporters. Police stepped back after the clergy members told them that the armed demonstrators had permission to be on church grounds. In another video from Louisville, protesters are seen confronting a business owner whose small business was firebombed the previous night. He then stood guard with a gun. The protesters demanded that the business owner say the words 'black lives matter,' but he refused, responding, "If you're a good person, I'm ok. If you're a bad person..." The exchange grew more intense and the protesters berated the man, who responded: "I don't care about White, Black, green, purple, whatever the f*** it is."
"I don't see color, I don't believe in color. I'm part Filipino," the business owner added.