NEWS OF THE DAY
➊ Hotel collapse: A fire broke out Monday amid the wreckage of the Hard Rock Hotel construction project that partially collapsed last year in New Orleans. The fire began when roofing material ignited during demolition work, city officials said, adding there was minimal danger it would spread. The hotel was under construction last October when it collapsed, killing three workers. Demolition work began in May after months of disagreements between the city and developers over how best to bring down the remains of the 18story structure. Two bodies remained in the wreckage until they were safely removed in August.
➋ Curfew lifted: A curfew has been dropped in Louisville, Ky., where many people have been charged with refusing to stop their nighttime protests after a grand jury’s decision not to charge officers in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor. Mayor Greg Fischer said he allowed the curfew to expire as of 6:30 a.m. Monday. Taylor was shot March 13 after her boyfriend opened fire as officers entered her home during a narcotics raid, authorities said. A grand jury indicted one officer, Brett Hankison, on wanton endangerment charges. Hankison pleaded not guilty on Monday.
➌ Police shooting: Prince George’s County in Maryland has agreed to a $20 million settlement with the family of a man who was handcuffed in a patrol car when a police officer fatally shot him, a county official said Monday. The officer who killed William Green in January was arrested on charges including seconddegree murder and trial is set for next year. Michael Owen Jr. has been jailed since his arrest. Green, 43, was unarmed with his hands cuffed behind his back when Owen shot him six times, County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said. She noted that Owen was the first police officer in the county’s history to be charged with murder for a killing while on duty.
➍ Portland protests: Criticism of the law enforcement response to a weekend protest in Portland, Ore., prompted Gov. Kate Brown to ask authorities to review “any alleged incidents” involving their officers. The governor tweeted Sunday night that she was committed to building trust in the community. Videos from the demonstration showed police grabbing a news photographer and pushing him to the ground as he was trying to document them tackling and detaining a person on a sidewalk. Another video showed an officer apparently deploying a chemical spray in the face of a man who was yelling at police. The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon called on Brown to appoint an independent prosecutor to investigate. ➎ Vegas lockdown: A man was arrested in California following a shooting late Sunday that critically injured one person and led to a lockdown of a Las Vegas Strip casinohotel for several hours. Police said one person was hospitalized after gunfire erupted during a scuffle about 11 p.m. on a Las Vegas Boulevard sidewalk. Flamingo guest Andrew Schilinski said the casino was locked down while police investigated whether the suspect fled into the hotel. Early Monday, police said a suspect, identified as Christian Miller, 19, was arrested by the California Highway Patrol.