Kentucky’s Attorney General pleaded with armed demonstrators to remain peaceful Saturday as opposing militia groups faced off in downtown Louisville. By late afternoon, the…
Kentucky’s Attorney General pleaded with armed demonstrators to remain peaceful Saturday as opposing militia groups faced off in downtown Louisville.
By late afternoon, the groups appeared to be withdrawing from the area. The standoff comes as federal agents deploy to major cities in a “surge” President Donald Trump says is aimed at curbing gun violence. That involvement is sparking backlash from both protesters and local officials.
Some local officials are speaking out against the federal involvement: Baltimore and Philadelphia attorneys threatened to charge federal officers who assault or kidnap protesters; officials in Albuquerque, New Mexico, said federal agents should respect the city’s police reforms, and Seattle’s mayor called the use of federal agents “frightening.”
More developments this weekend:
Here’s a look at what’s happening today:
Downtown Louisville was again the site of protests Saturday as armed militia groups and Black Lives Matter protesters faced one another on opposite sides of barricades set up by Louisville Metro Police Department officers.
Cries of “Black lives matter” were heard through downtown. One man yelled “Don’t fire unless you’re fired upon.”
Police confirmed three members of the NFAC, a Black militia that stands for “Not F**king Around Coalition,” were struck by gunfire when someone’s gun discharged while participating in a demonstration Saturday. All three victims went to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. There are no suspects at this time, police said.
The NFAC announced earlier in the week the group would be coming to Louisville to demand justice for Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman who was fatally shot by police in March.
In response, the Three Percenters, a far-right militia group, announced later in the week that it will have “boots on the ground” in Louisville.
