The Louisville Metro Police Department has identified, arrested, and charged a suspect in connection with the shooting of two officers during protests after a Kentucky grand jury declined to file homicide charges against any of the three police officers involved in the March raid in which Breonna Taylor was shot and killed.
Larynzo Johnson, 26, was charged with 14 counts of wanton endangerment on a police officer and two counts of assault on a police officer, according to WLKY, a local CBS affiliate. He was arrested around 8:40 p.m. Wednesday, shortly after two officers, whose names have not been released, were shot. Neither officer is in critical condition.
An arrest citation said Johnson “showed an extreme indifference to the value of human life,” according to the Courier-Journal. It also said the suspect was in a large group that was setting fires and would not leave despite police instruction and that he “intentionally used a handgun to fire multiple bullets at officers. Two officers with LMPD were struck by the bullets causing serious physical injury.”
Suspect held in police shooting last night at Brooke and Broadway – arrest report says Larynzo Johnson “fired multiple shots at officers “ – 2 officers shot recovering at university hospital pic.twitter.com/0FQjjUm1m9
— Connie Leonard (@ConnieLeonard) September 24, 2020
Johnson’s arraignment hearing will likely occur virtually on Friday, according to CBS News.
In body camera footage of the shooting, shouts of “officer down” can be heard after the sound of gunshots.
Protests broke out in cities nationwide following the news of the grand jury’s decision. Former Detective Brett Hankison faces charges for putting Taylor’s neighbors in danger during the raid of her home in March, but none of the officers were charged for killing Taylor.
