A man was shot and killed by authorities early Monday in Louisville after police officers and the Kentucky National Guard were shot at and “returned fire” while trying to break up a large crowd during protests in the city, according to NBC News.
Louisville Metro Police Chief Steve Conrad said officers and the National Guard were fired upon while trying to clear a crowd from a supermarket parking lot around 12:15 a.m. and fired back.
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“Officers and soldiers began to clear the lot and at some point were shot at,” Conrad said in a statement, according to NBC. “Both LMPD and National Guard members returned fire, we have one man dead at the scene.”
Authorities have not released more information about the person who was killed. It’s unclear if the crowd was part of protests in the city over the death of George Floyd, according to WLKY. Investigators are expected to provide an update later Monday.
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Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear asked the Kentucky State Police to independently investigate the shooting.
“LMPD and the Kentucky National Guard returned fire resulting in a death,” Beshear said in a statement Monday. “I have authorized the Kentucky State Police to independently investigate the event.”
Police say they are interviewing several persons of interest and collecting video of the incident. A 9 p.m. curfew was in effect Sunday in Louisville, where protests have continued for several nights.
The nation is reeling after cities saw days of demonstrations turn violent amid growing outrage over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man killed as a result of a police arrest in Minneapolis last week. Floyd died after an officer knelt on his neck for several minutes.
Louisville protests have also focused largely on Breonna Taylor, a black woman who was allegedly shot by police in her own home and died in March.
On Thursday, seven people were shot in downtown Louisville as several hundred protestors gathered in the city. Police said some arrests have been made in the incident.
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