By Edmund DeMarche, David Aaro | Fox News
Authorities in St. Louis said early Tuesday that four police officers were shot during protests in the city’s downtown area and officers continue to be under fire.
St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden told reporters that two officers were shot in the leg and one was shot in the foot. The other was shot in the arm. Hayden said they were hit by gunfire while standing on the side of a police line amid protests in the city.
"As we speak we're trying to get control out of this city, still hearing gunfire and everything. I don't know what else to say. This is horrible," he said. "Thank God, they're alive."
Hayden added that he believes "some coward randomly shot at the police line."
Besides the shooting in St. Louis, there were reports of police being shot in Richmond Va. and Las Vegas. Their conditions were not immediately clear.
Unconfirmed video on Twitter showed chaos in the downtown area as police vehicles and cars were seen traveling throughout the smoke and fire filled streets. Dozens of shots could be heard.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that all of the officers were conscious and breathing after being rushed to the hospital.
Around 12:25 a.m. local time, “heavy gunfire” could be heard “coming from several directions downtown," according to the paper.
Fox 2 Now reported that earlier in the day, crowds formed outside the St. Louis Police headquarters in the city, and police set up defensive lines around the perimeter. The relative calm in the city during the day gave way to violence in the city that included a 7-Eleven being looted and set on fire.
Sometime later, Hayden said a group of 200 or so had no intention of protesting when they started throwing rocks and fireworks at officers.
Hayden said the rioters were hyping up the crowd and high fiving each other. He said they started throwing things at officers and then looting all over downtown.
“Officers exhibited extraordinary restraint,” Hayden said.
He added that officers only took measures to combat the crowd after things became violent outside of police headquarters. Police in riot gear threw tear gas at the crowd and started moving in lines to break up the rioters, according to St. Louis' KSDK.
"We had to protect our headquarters building, they were throwing fireworks on officers, fireworks were exploding on officers, they had officers that had gas poured on them....Mr. [George] Floyd was killed somewhere else and they're tearing up cities all across the country," Hayden said.
"I don't understand why this mayhem is going on across this country. Can we make some sense out of this?"
The report said that downtown businesses and construction sites were also set on fire.
A press release from the police did not identify the exact location of the gunfire but said police were still under fire.
"Please keep these officers in your thoughts and prayers, as well as all our brave first responders responding to the unfolding situation downtown tonight," St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson wrote on Facebook.
Protests across the U.S. were sparked after the death of Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. There were reports emerging on Monday night that police became the target of some anarchists.
A video emerged Monday night that showed an SUV plowing through a line of officers responding to a protest in Buffalo, N.Y., hitting two law enforcement officers and speeding away. The officers were listed in serious condition and the suspected driver was apprehended.
lost in melb. (06-02-2020)
By Bradford Betz | Fox News
A group of looters in California’s Bay Area was captured on video Sunday fighting over items they reportedly stole from a retail store.
The video shows six people fighting over handfuls of clothes. Another person pushes past the group and grabs one of the discarded items on the sidewalk.
The group then disperses and gets into separate cars after stuffing the clothes in the trunk.
The scene was one of many similar instances throughout the country, sparked by protests over the death of George Floyd and other killings of black people by police and U.S. citizens. Floyd, who was black, died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes.
Multiple stores in Walnut Creek – where the video was recorded – were hit by looters on Sunday.
Mayor Loella Haskew told Fox 2 that the looting was in no way connected to the demonstrations taking place nationwide.
“It was pure and simple criminal behavior,” she said. “It equaled essentially a riot.”
The looting and rioting prompted city officials to issue a curfew effective from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m.
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But...but...I thought they were 'protesters', not looters and rioters?
I would say 99% are legitimate protesters, but I don't know. What do you think? The article talks about six people there...
Shit like that and my sympathy diminishes...reckless and stupid
RBP (06-02-2020)
From what I see here locally in Denver, is that it starts out with actual protesters during the day, although some of their tactics are somewhat questionable (like wandering out as a huge crowd and blocking the interstate and then being shocked when people get upset), but then later in the day/evening it gets, then the rioters show up and I would say it's 90% rioters and 10% protesters.
lost in melb. (06-02-2020)
Do you agree in principle to the idea of a curfew at the moment? Sorry if that seems like a stupid question but I honestly don't know
RBP (06-02-2020)
lost in melb. (06-02-2020), RBP (06-02-2020)
Griffin (06-02-2020), lost in melb. (06-02-2020), perrhaps (06-03-2020), Teh One Who Knocks (06-02-2020)
If the looters and rioters are in one area, then imposing a curfew on the outskirts where nothing's happening at all is bullshit. The police firing paint cannisters at people on their porches was bullshit. Put the police where they're needed and leave the rest of the people alone, protesters included, because peaceful protesting is covered under the 1st amendment. They have a right to be out there and be heard.
Warning: The posts of this forum member may contain trigger language which may be considered offensive to some.
Music was better when ugly people were allowed to make it.
Godfather (06-02-2020), lost in melb. (06-02-2020), perrhaps (06-03-2020)