Louisville Officer Shot in Protests Applauded by Fellow Officers Upon Return to Work
One of the two Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) officers shot on Wednesday night at protests has been greeted back to work. The shootings took place following the indictment of one of the policemen who raided Breonna Taylor's home.
A video posted by WLKY, a local news station, showed Major Aubrey Gregory being applauded by his colleagues as he attended Thursday's morning roll call.
Despite being shot last night, @LMPD Maj. Aubrey Gregory still showed up to roll call this morning and was greeted with a round of applause. 👏👏👏 https://t.co/lCvvZNKrQu Officer Robinson Desroches is still recovering. pic.twitter.com/26yrFh2ieo
— WLKY (@WLKY) September 24, 2020
Gregory and Officer Robinson Desroches were identified by LMPD Chief of Police Robert Schroeder on Thursday as the two officers who were shot during protests on Wednesday.
Gregory was released from hospital after being shot in the leg, while Desroches, who was struck in the abdomen, was in stable condition Thursday morning and is expected to recover.
The chief of police also identified the suspect in the shooting of the officers, a 26-year-old man who was taken into custody Wednesday night. He was charged with two counts of assault in the first degree and 14 counts of wanton endangerment, Schroeder said on Thursday.
FBI Louisville is also assisting in the investigation of the shooting.
Protests took place in Louisville on Wednesday in the aftermath of the indictment for Brett Hankison, one of the three officers involved in the raid of Taylor's home, was announced.
He was charged with three felony counts of wanton endangerment, charges relating to the shooting into other apartments during the raid that ended in the death of Taylor. However, there were no charges for any of the officers directly pertaining to the killing of the former EMT.
Protests continued on Thursday. Protesters congregated inside a church, which allowed them to stay there as the curfew imposed on the city had expired.
The LMPD posted a tweet thanking the National Guard for offering one of its fire suppression vehicles. However, it denied in a statement that the National Guard was deployed to address protesters at the church.
Thanks to the National Guard for offering the services of this fire suppression vehicle. Another tool to help keep everyone safe. #LMPD #TeamWork pic.twitter.com/Jw8JpQZtQL
— LMPD (@LMPD) September 24, 2020
The National Guard has been on standby in Louisville since Wednesday. Both Governor Andy Beshear and Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said on Thursday that there wasn't a need for federal troops to assist local authorities' responses to the latest wave of protests.
The National Guard is on standby in Louisville as the city braces for severe unrest in the wake of the Breonna Taylor announcement #Louisville #BreonnaTaylor pic.twitter.com/roViaqE6Lt
— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) September 23, 2020
The LMPD said in its statement that at least 24 people were arrested throughout Thursday evening for charges including unlawful assembly, failure to disperse and riot in the first degree.
