Police officers shot, hit by car in multiple incidents amid George Floyd protests

Law enforcement officials in several cities were injured Monday night as protests over the death of George Floyd in police custody continued across the country.

Four St. Louis police officers were hospitalized after a shooting Monday evening in which a suspect is alleged to have opened fire at a line of officers, the police chief said at an early morning press conference according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. A suspect has yet to be apprehended or identified.

“I believe some coward randomly shot at the police line,” chief John Hayden told reporters.

“I don’t know what else to say,” he added. “This is horrible.”

Elsewhere in Las Vegas a fifth officer is on life support after being shot in the head. Another man was killed in that shooting, which reportedly occurred as officers attempted to move in on a crowd and detain several people according to local news affiliate Fox 5. The suspect in that shooting was taken into custody.

“My Office has been notified that the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department is currently working two separate incidents in Las Vegas. The State is in contact with local law enforcement and continues to monitor the situation,” Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) tweeted early Tuesday morning.

My Office has been notified that the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department is currently working two separate incidents in Las Vegas. The State is in contact with local law enforcement and continues to monitor the situation.

— Governor Sisolak (@GovSisolak) June 2, 2020

In Buffalo, N.Y., two officers were injured when a vehicle struck them, while two people not affiliated with law enforcement were struck by gunfire. The officers are thought to have suffered serious injuries, according to local news affiliate WTHR 13.

BREAKING: A trooper and an officer were hit by a car that blew through a line of officers at the protest on Bailey Avenue according to PBA President John Evans. They were taken to ECMC. Stay with @SPECNewsBuffalo for updates. #Buffalo pic.twitter.com/odQygo09lH

— Stephen Marth (@StephenMarth) June 2, 2020

“Two people that were struck by gunfire in the vicinity of Langmire and Bailey were two of the individuals that were in the vehicle that mowed into the police line, but again, this is still under investigation,” Mayor Byron Brown (D) told the news outlet.

Monday evening’s protests came hours after President Trump urged governors to step up their efforts to contain and shut down protests over the death of Floyd, who was seen on video asking for help as a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck during an arrest for several minutes. The officer was later fired and charged with third-degree murder, though officials resisted calls to make an arrest for several days and three other officers fired for their involvement in the arrest have yet to be charged.

Protests have continued to rock dozens of cities across the U.S., and the police response to the demonstrations in many areas has been further criticized in the days following Floyd’s death.