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A Security Guard Filming Riot Police Tackling Protesters In Louisville Was Shot At

He told BuzzFeed News he believes it was a police officer who shot at him.

Amber Jamieson BuzzFeed News Reporter Posted on June 17, 2020


Kentucky Kenji / Via Twitter: @kenjiboijoi

A 23-year-old security guard patrolling Louisville's Hall of Justice Monday night was shot at when he began filming a swarm of riot police tackling a man to the ground during a protest.

The video shows smoke, a bang, and a mark on the window.

"Oh shit, they shot at me," he says in the video recording.


KENTUCKY KENJI 🌎🍃@kenjiboijoi
I need the name of the cop who shot at me. I need that fade expeditiously lmao. What the fuck did I do? I'm in a building 😒 #Louisvilleprotests #Louisville #BlackLivesMattters #BreonnaTaylor01:51 AM - 16 Jun 2020
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The Jefferson resident, who asked for anonymity out of concerns for his employment, believes a police officer shot at him. His video shows protesters running away and he said he did not see any of them carrying any weapons.

"It had to be an officer," he said. "It was pretty eye-opening seeing how, in my opinion, how trigger-happy they are."

Protests have erupted in recent weeks in Louisville, Kentucky, where Breonna Taylor, 26, was killed when police officers raided her home as she slept and shot her eight times. Her death helped ignite Black Lives Matter protests around the country.

Louisville authorities have used extreme violence to try and stop protests, including earlier this month when police officers and the Kentucky National Guard shot into a crowd of protesters and killed beloved local barbecue chef David McAtee. Police also shot a reporter with pepper balls, a type of rubber bullet, while she was live on air.

But the security guard, who is Latino, said he had not been involved in any protests and described his politics as "pretty neutral."

He had walked that section of the Hall of Justice a few hours earlier and it was quiet, so when he returned and saw protesters and riot police, he grabbed his phone and began recording.

"I was just curious and wanted to show my friends what was going on downtown," he said. "I had no bad intention or anything."


Kentucky Kenji / Via Twitter: @kenjiboijoi

He said he was glad the window of the government building was strong enough to hold and stopped him from getting injured. It's unclear what type of ammunition was used.

"It just scared me," he said. "All of a sudden you just get shot at."

The security guard said he immediately moved away from the window and stopped filming. "I didn't want it to happen again," he said.

The security guard said he did not contact authorities as he feared retaliation, but posted the video on Twitter, where it has been viewed over 3.3 million times.

The Louisville Police Department did not respond to BuzzFeed News' request for comment. But there's one thing the security guard wants now: "Justice for Breonna Taylor," he said.