Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced Saturday morning he was calling in the National Guard to help “keep peace” in Louisville after protests over the death of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency medical technician who was fatally shot eight times by narcotics detectives at her home in March, The Washington Post reported.
No drugs were found in Taylor’s home, the newspaper reported. Officers fired more than 20 shots into Taylor’s apartment, according to a lawsuit filed by her family.
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In a video statement released Saturday, Beshear said demonstrations escalated into violence Friday night, adding that state officials have “intelligence" that protests Saturday could become more violent.
Beshear said he believes more “outside groups” will be in Louisville on Saturday night, “trying to create violence to harm everybody.”
“While I can never pretend to understand the depths of those feelings, what I can do is pledge to listen and to do everything I can to help moving forward,” Beshear said in the video. “The demonstrations in Lousiville have all started peacefully. But what we have seen, especially last night, and what our intelligence says is going to happen tonight, are outside groups moving in trying to create violence to harm everybody who is on those streets. We cannot let Breonna’s legacy be marred by violence and we can’t let our streets turn violent."
Cox Media Group
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