The Latest: Nearly 100 arrests in Louisville, Kentucky

Police have made close to 100 arrests in Louisville after protests over a Kentucky grand jury’s decision to not indict officers in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor

APTOPIX Racial Injustice Breonna Taylor (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

The Latest on a grand jury's decision not to indict police officers on criminal charges directly related to Breonna Taylor s death: (all times EDT)

7:30 a.m.

Police announce close to 100 arrests in Louisville Kentucky after protests over the grand jury’s decision to not indict officers in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor.

A police statement early Thursday says some were arrested after damaging businesses and more were detained after jumping on city vehicles being used as barricades. Later, protesters who refused orders to disperse were arrested for curfew and unlawful assembly violations.

Police also said some businesses were looted early Thursday including two City Gear stores and a pawn shop. No further information was released about a suspect accused of shooting two officers while demonstrations were ongoing.

Police said one of them underwent surgery and both are expected to survive.

___

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE BREONNA TAYLOR CASE:

A Kentucky grand jury has brought no charges against Louisville police for the killing of Breonna Taylor during a drug raid gone wrong. Prosecutors said Wednesday that two officers who fired their weapons at the Black woman were justified in using force to protect themselves. Instead, the only charges brought by the grand jury were three counts of wanton endangerment against fired Officer Brett Hankison for shooting into Taylor’s neighbors’ homes. Taylor was shot multiple times by officers who burst into her home on March 13 during a narcotics investigation.

Read more:

— Black attorney general chokes up during Taylor announcement

-- A timeline of events related to the death of Breonna Taylor

— Celebrities decry decision in Breonna Taylor case

HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

1:30 a.m.

In downtown Portland, Oregon, the site of months of demonstrations against police brutality, several hundred people held a rally in the rain Wednesday night in front of the Multnomah County Justice Center, the Oregonian/Oregonlive.com reported.

A drum line played in rhythm with chants of “Whose life mattered? Breonna Taylor!”

Several Black women addressed the crowd and encouraged people to vote and continue pressing for change, the newspaper reported.

___

11:30 p.m.

Police say they have deployed chemical agents on Atlanta protesters demonstrating against a grand jury’s decision not to indict police officers for the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor.

Georgia State Patrol Spokesperson Franka Young has told The Associated Press the chemical agents were fired after “some unruly protesters” attempted to climb on top of a SWAT vehicle that was stationed in the city.

“They were given orders to get off of the vehicle and when they ignored the orders, the SWAT team was forced to utilize less lethal gas to deter them,” Young said. Some protesters were also arrested after refusing orders to disperse from roads and to walk on sidewalks, Young said. It is not clear how many people were arrested. Young said many protesters had followed police orders.

___

10:45 p.m.

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and running mate Kamala Harris are calling for policing reform in response to a Kentucky grand jury’s decision not to indict police officers on criminal charges directly related to Breonna Taylor’s death.

Biden said Wednesday that while a federal investigation continues, “we do not need to wait for the final judgment of that investigation to do more to deliver justice for Breonna.” He added: “We need to start by addressing the use of excessive force, banning chokeholds, and overhauling no-knock warrants.”

Harris said on Twitter, “We must never stop speaking Breonna’s name as we work to reform our justice system, including overhauling no-knock warrants.”

Taylor was shot multiple times when officers burst into her Louisville, Kentucky, home during a drug raid gong wrong earlier this year.

___

10:40 p.m.

President Donald Trump has tweeted that he is “praying for the two police officers that were shot” in Louisville, Kentucky, during the latest protests in the Breonna Taylor case.

“The Federal Government stands behind you and is ready to help,” Trump said in a tweet Wednesday night. He added that he had spoken with Kentucky Governor Andy Beshaear and was prepared to “work together” upon request.

Louisville police have said the two wounded officers were stable and expected to recover, and that a suspect was in custody.

Taylor was shot multiple times when officers who burst into the Black woman’s home in Louisville earlier this year during a drug raid gone wrong.

___

10:10 p.m.

Police say two officers have been shot and wounded amid protests in Louisville, Kentucky, over a lack of charges in the Breonna Taylor case.

Interim Police Chief Robert Schroeder spoke about the shootings Wednesday night and said a suspect is in custody. He said both officers were in stable condition and expected to recover, and that one of them was undergoing surgery.

He said the officers had gone to investigate reports of shots fired when they were hit by gunfire. Schroeder didn’t identify officers of the suspect, or say whether the person in custody was taking part in the protests.

The shootings came hours after a grand jury on Wednesday brought no charges directly against Louisville police for the killing of a Black woman, Breonna Taylor, in a police raid gone wrong.

Police in riot gear, some with assault weapons, staged a heavy law enforcement presence downtown late Wednesday after dispersing hundreds of demonstrators. Streets remained largely empty but tense amid an overnight curfew.