Angry protests nationwide on Friday followed the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis. Clashes erupted between activists and law enforcement in many locations, and at least two people were dead by Saturday morning.
One person was killed in Detroit as protesters gathered in the downtown area.
As WXYZ TV, an ABC News affiliate, reported, a Detroit Police Department spokesperson said, “A grey Dodge Durango pulled up and fired into the crowd, striking a 19-year-old man.” The shooting did not involve police.
Protesters marched in the streets until approximately midnight, when police fired tear gas into the crowds. Officials said at least nine people were arrested.
In Oakland, California, a contract security officer for the Federal Protective Service was killed and another injured in a shooting at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building, according to a statement from the FBI. The service is part of the Department of Homeland Security.
Those officers were shot from an individual inside a vehicle that approached the building.
In Minneapolis, things seemed calmer Friday after officials there took a more nonconfrontational approach, but as the 8pm curfew approached law enforcement implemented a column of National Guard troops and armored vehicles to respond to protesters. The Minnesota National Guard says they are preparing to deploy 1,700 soldiers, the largest deployment in Minnesota history.
Protests in Atlanta turned violent with rocks, smoke grenades, and apparently BB rounds. A state of emergency was issued around midnight. CNN’s headquarters was pelted with rocks and graffiti, including insults to Trump.
In Portland, Oregon, the Portland Police Bureau declared a riot in the city and ordered protesters to go home. In a tweet, it said people who did not comply would be “subject to gas, projectiles, and other means necessary for dispersal.”
In Los Angeles, an officer grabbed a male activist in an attempt to restrain him. After a brief tussle, a throng of protesters pulled the officer to the ground. They descended on the uniformed officer, kicking and hitting him with protest signs. Eventually, a man in civilian clothing pulled the officer out. Downtown shops had windows busted, trash cans set on fire, and at 10:30 pm an unlawful assembly was declared.
In New York, protests began peaceful but in Brooklyn police can be seen wielding batons and beating several protesters to the ground, and at one point spraying a crowd with a repellent, and making arrests. A police department there was set on fire twice. Two hundred demonstrators were arrested and a dozen officers injured.
In Denver, demonstrators broke windows and threw water bottles and rocks at police officers, who threw flash bangs, shot pepper pellets and sprayed tear gas at crowds.
More details at NPR.
