Two LMPD officers shot in downtown Louisville; connection to protests unclear

Two Louisville Metro Police Department officers were shot in downtown Louisville Wednesday night, according to police.

One of the officers was awake and alert Wednesday night at a Louisville hospital, while the other was taken into surgery, LMPD Chief Robert Schroeder said in a media briefing. Both were stable and neither had injuries that were thought to be life-threatening.

The officers were called around 8:30 p.m. to the area of Brook Street for a report of a large crowd and shots being fired, Schroeder said. When the officers arrived at First Street and Broadway, shots “rang out” and the two officers were hit.

One suspect was taken into custody Wednesday night by LMPD in connection with the shooting.

The shooting happened at the same time as protests in downtown, but it was not immediately clear if the shooting was in any way connected to protests.

Schroeder spoke to the press for less than two minutes and only took three questions. He did not say whether the shooting officers responded to was related to the protests and did not provide any information about the suspect taken into custody.

Protesters who were in the area appeared to be confused after the shooting, and didn’t understand when police began taking a defensive stance.

One protester, 43-year-old Melissa Jones, said she was marching when she turned a corner and saw police. She then heard bangs in front of her and protesters dispersed.

Gov. Andy Beshear posted a video on Twitter Wednesday night in which he said that he understood that the events of Wednesday caused powerful frustration, anger and concern in some people, and that some were expressing themselves in protests.

While police have not confirmed that the shooting was related to the protest, Beshear said that the shooting was an instance of someone moving away from non-violent expression. He asked that people out protesting go home, saying that there will be other opportunities to be heard and that more people are listening now than ever.

“We know that the answer to violence is never violence,” Beshear said. “And we are thinking about those two officers and their families tonight.”

President Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday night that he spoke with Beshear and said he is ready to offer federal support if requested.

“Praying for the two police officers that were shot tonight in Louisville, Kentucky,” Trump said in the tweet.

Schroeder said that the shooting made him concerned for the safety of officers in Louisville.

Herald-Leader reporter Morgan Eads contributed to this report.

This story was originally published September 23, 2020 at 9:04 PM.