Five policemen injured in anti-racism protests in St Louis, Las Vegas

St Louis/Las Vegas, June 2

The police say four officers were hit by gunfire after protests in St Louis that started peacefully on Monday but became violent overnight, with demonstrators smashing windows and stealing items from businesses and fires burning in the downtown area, while an officer was shot in Las Vegas.

Las Vegas authorities said they were responding to another shooting as people protested the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

The St Louis police department tweeted early Tuesday that the officers were taken to a hospital with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening.

It was unclear who had fired the shots. The chaos in St Louis followed continued protests Monday in Missouri over the death of George Floyd and police treatment of African Americans, with gatherings also held in Kansas City and Jefferson City.

Also read: Curfew imposed in NYC as protesters loot stores across Manhattan

On Monday afternoon, several hundred people rallied peacefully outside the justice centre in downtown St. Louis, including Mayor Lyda Krewson and St Louis Public Safety Director Jimmie Edwards.

Protestors later walked to the Gateway Arch National Park and then onto nearby Interstate 64. But later Monday, protesters gathered in front of police headquarters, where officers fired tear gas.

Some protesters smashed windows at a downtown 7-11 store and stole items from inside before the building was set on fire.

The Las Vegas officer was shot in the area of the Las Vegas Strip and an officer was involved in a shooting in the downtown area, according to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

The protesters have been rallying for days across the country over the death of George Floyd, a black man seen on video pleading that he couldn’t breathe while a white police officer pressing his knee into his neck for several minutes before he stopped moving.

Police in Las Vegas said, on Monday, 338 people were arrested during three nights of protests.

Police said suspects were jailed despite a local court policy calling for most people accused of misdemeanours to receive a court summons to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

2 killed in anti-racism protests in Chicago

Cicero: Two people have been killed during unrest in the Chicago suburb of Cicero as protests continued over the death of George Floyd, according to a town official.

Spokesman Ray Hanania says 60 people were arrested in the town of about 84,000 located west of Chicago. Hanania didn’t provide additional information about those killed or the circumstances of their deaths.

The Illinois State Police and Cook County Sheriff's Office were called in to help local police Monday as people broke into a liquor store and other businesses and stole items. AP