From the Republic’s newsgathering partners WISH TV in Indianapolis:
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said he is saddened after people and businesses were injured after protests broke out late Friday night and continued through early Saturday morning in the city.
“Like so many in Indianapolis, I was horrified by the needless killing of George Floyd. I also recognize that the frustration and anger on display over the last few days isn’t new – it has been felt by communities of color for hundreds of years in a country that has far too often fallen short of providing liberty and justice for all,” Hogsett said in a statement to News 8 Saturday morning. “The systemic racism of our past and present must be acknowledged and addressed. At a successful protest that occurred last night, hundreds of residents did just that, peacefully exercising their right to free speech.”
Shattered glass and vandalism left behind mark the end of a long night of disruption downtown. The city is bracing for what could come during another protest planned for 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the Indiana War Memorial.
The doors of a CVS store downtown on Ohio Street were broken into and the store was set on fire as protesters took to the streets of downtown Indianapolis standing in solidarity with protesters in Minneapolis after the death of George Floyd.
The events happened after Hogsett said a successful protest ended and a “smaller group of individuals abandoned this message of positive change.”
“While the emotions that fueled this vandalism may be justified, the actions that were taken and the harm that it has caused are simply unacceptable and did nothing to further the cause of progress,” Hogsett said.
The mayor said three law enforcement officers were injured during the protests. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department report a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy was shot at. The deputy was not injured and did not return fire, according to IMPD.
