Incident Details
- Date of Incident
- May 29, 2020
- Location
- Louisville, Kentucky
- Targets
- WLKY
- Equipment Broken
- Actor
- Private individual
Equipment Damage
Two news vehicles belonging to local broadcast station WLKY News were vandalized on May 29, 2020, during protests in Louisville, Kentucky, according to the station.
The Associated Press reported that protests in Louisville have centered around the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, both of whom were black. Taylor was shot eight times in her Louisville home in mid-March by narcotics police who broke down her door. Floyd died on May 25, after a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, knelt on his neck for eight minutes during an arrest. Video of Floyd’s death has sparked protests across the country.
Two separate vehicles belonging to WLKY News were vandalized that night. In a video broadcast by the station, individuals can be seen jumping on one news vehicle and kicking out its windows.
A second WLKY vehicle was kicked and dented by rioters while they were in the vehicle filming looting at a liquor store, according to a tweet from station anchor Julie Dolan.
The station did not immediately respond to requests for additional information or comment. The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker documents journalists being assaulted, arrested, struck by crowd-control ammunition or tear gas or who had their equipment damaged in the course of reporting. Find all incidents related to Black Lives Matter and anti-police brutality protests here.
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker catalogues press freedom violations in the United States. Email tips to [email protected].