Police and National Guard troops in Louisville, Ky. responded to disperse a crowd gathered past curfew shortly past midnight on Monday. According to statements, they were fired upon and returned fire, killing one person.
Around midnight, the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) and Kentucky National Guard were sent to disperse a crowd violating the city's "dusk to dawn" curfew that went into effect at 9 p.m.
"While working to disperse a crowd, LMPD and the Kentucky National Guard were fired upon," a statement from Gov. Andy Beshear reads. "LMPD and the Kentucky National Guard returned fire resulting in a death."
No additional information regarding the death has been released as of Monday morning. According to Beshear's statement, Kentucky State Police are "independently" investigating the event.
Protests in Louisville began last week in response to the death of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old black woman killed in her home in March by Louisville police officers executing a warrant for her former boyfriend. Seven individuals were shot during protests last week, according to NBC News, but none of the previous shootings involved law enforcement.
Over the weekend, 5,000 National Guard troops were activated in 15 states to assist law enforcement in response to protests. By Monday morning, that number had more than tripled.
17,000 National Guard troops have been activated in response to national protests
Now, 17,000 National Guard troops have been activated in 23 states.
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