protests

The Jefferson County Attorney will not proceed with felony charges against protesters who demonstrated outside Kentucky Attorney Daniel Cameron’s home earlier this week.

Louisville Metro Police arrested 87 peaceful protesters on charges that included a felony — intimidation of a participant in a legal process — police spokespeople said this week. County Attorney Mike O’Connell said he came to the decision after reviewing the law, according to a news release from his office.

“While we do believe the LMPD had probable cause for the charge, in the interest
of justice and the promotion of the free exchange of ideas, we will dismiss that charge for each protestor arrested this past Tuesday,” he said, according to the release. “We continue to review the misdemeanors and violations for prosecution at a later date.”

An armed counter protest to “restore order” in Louisville scheduled for Saturday is organized by a member of the Kentucky National Guard, according to social media posts.

“On the morning of June 27, armed freedom fighter patriots will march upon Louisville Kentucky to restore order,” the original post reads. “These Patriotic Americans will remain peaceful unless they find it necessary to defend themselves from opposition.”

The rally comes after weeks of protests against racism and police violence in Louisville after Louisville Metro Police officers killed 26 year-old Breonna Taylor in her home while serving a warrant. Gov. Andy Beshear activated the National Guard and sent members to Louisville to assist local law enforcement with the protests from May 31. The National Guard was withdrawn on June 2, the day after LMPD and Guardsmen shot at local restaurant owner David McAtee while enforcing a curfew. An investigation later determined McAtee was killed by a round fired by a member of the National Guard.

Mayor Greg Fischer announced Friday morning that Brett Hankison is getting fired after the chief found he “displayed an extreme indifference to the value of human life” when he shot Breonna Taylor.

Hankison was one of three officers who has been on paid administrative leave since the March 13 shooting, when Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, was shot and killed by plainclothes LMPD officers while they were executing a warrant. Fischer said interim chief Robert Schroeder is initiating termination proceedings.

Mayor Greg Fischer has announced a more thorough review of sexual assault allegations against Louisville Metro Police officer Brett Hankison, and has asked that he be removed from his role on the Louisville Police Merit Board.

Hankison is one of three officers who fired on Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman killed by police in her home in March. He’s currently on paid administrative reassignment while the investigation into that shooting continues.

Last week, two women came forward on social media to accuse Hankison of sexual assault, and claimed there were several other victims as well.

The plain-clothes officers who killed Breonna Taylor while executing a search warrant at her home on March 13 had previously worn body cameras, a lawyer for the Taylor family claims.

In court documents filed on Tuesday, Louisville attorney Sam Aguiar alleges officers from Louisville Metro Police Department’s Criminal Interdiction Unit had been assigned body cameras, evidenced by footage from previous cases and by previous citations issued by the officers which identify the use of body cameras. 

Gov. Andy Beshear says he doesn’t regret sending the National Guard to Louisville to assist with the city’s response to protests over racism and police violence.

The National Guard was in Louisville starting on Saturday May 30, and on early Monday morning two National Guardsmen were involved in the shooting death of local barbecue chef David McAtee, who state and police officials say fired first.

The incident has sparked outrage from people across the city, state and country already protesting police violence against Black people.

A University of Louisville epidemiologist says hospitals are preparing for an increase in patients with COVID-19 following an upward trend in the number of coronavirus cases in Kentucky over the last week or so.

For a little more than a week, the state has seen about a hundred more cases each day than it was seeing a couple of weeks ago, according to Forest Arnold with U of L Hospital.

The seven-day average for new cases in Kentucky stands at 226, according to the WFPL News coronavirus tracker. Meanwhile, covidexitstrategy.com states Kentucky has seen a 51% increase in the 14-day trend of daily coronavirus cases.

In a wide-ranging news conference covering issues that have arisen in the days since racial justice protests began in Louisville, Mayor Greg Fischer said on Wednesday the city will seek input from residents on reforms to the Louisville Metro Police Department.

Interim LMPD Chief Robert Schroeder apologized for the use of teargas against peaceful protesters.

Fischer’s chief priorities in addressing police reforms, “rebuilding trust” and “legitimacy,” are searching for a new police chief and conducting a comprehensive review of the Louisville Metro Police Department.

David McAtee’s family announced Monday that they plan to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the Louisville Metro Police Department and the city in relation to McAtee’s death one week ago.

McAtee, 53, was killed June 1 in a barrage of bullets fired by Louisville police and the National Guard outside his small barbecue restaurant at the intersection of 26th Street and Broadway in the city’s Russell neighborhood.

On Monday, during a press conference outside McAtee’s restaurant, attorney Ted Shouse said the family will file suit once McAtee’s mother is appointed administrator of his estate. It’s unclear just when that will be, Shouse said, since the court system is “bolloxed-up” due to the ongoing pandemic.