Louisville man fatally shot amid protest; suspect in custody

— A suspect has been arrested in the death of a Kentucky man who was fatally shot amid a protest in Louisville over the killing of Breonna Taylor, police said Sunday.

The suspect was hospitalized and being inter- viewed by homicide investigators, interim Louisville Police Chief Robert Schro- eder said at a news confer- ence. The man’s name was not immediately released.

Police were conferring with prosecutors on criminal charges to be filed, Schroeder said. Neither Schroeder nor Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said why the suspect was in the hospital.

Tyler Charles Gerth, 27, of Louisville, died after being shot at Jefferson Square Park in downtown Louisville, authorities said. The Courier Journal reported that Gerth was an avid photogra- pher and a vocal supporter of the ongoing protests whose godfather is a columnist at the newspaper.

In a video of the shooting shown during the news conference, the suspect was surrounded by several people before shots were fired and people scrambled for cover. Schroeder said the suspect had been participating in the protests since they began and had been arrested a few times.

“He had been repeatedly asked by other members at the park to leave due to his destructive behavior,” Schroeder said.

Another video posted on social media later showed at least one person bleeding profusely on the ground.

Several other people fired gunshots after the suspect began firing, but no one else was hit, Fischer said.

“Whether they were there at the time of the shooting or not, I know the sadness of those who have been organizing and participating in peaceful protests for racial justice. This is absolutely not what they wanted or any of us wanted,” Fischer said. “We cannot let one senseless act by one individual derail that dream, that vision that we have as a city.”