A car drove into a crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters and a demonstrator was shot in the Denver suburb of Aurora, Colorado, on Saturday, police said in a series of statements posted to Twitter.
Of note: Later in the night, police declared an unlawful protest after a fire was started inside a courthouse office.
While the majority of the protestors were peaceful, a group decided to hijack the message tonight & cause major damage to the courthouse & courtyard.
— Aurora Police Dept. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@AuroraPD) July 26, 2020
We are still seeking witnesses w/ info regarding the shooting on I-225. You can contact @CrimeStoppersCO. pic.twitter.com/E5zFJp6HS8
The big picture: Aurora Police Department said they're investigating incident with the vehicle on Interstate 225 and the subsequent shooting, which the department added happened when a protester "decided to fire off a weapon." The gunshots struck at least one other demonstrator, who was taken to the hospital in stable condition.
- The police stressed that the demonstrations were largely peaceful, but the later unrest at the courthouse saw wooden window coverings "torn down" to be used as shields by some protesters. Some protesters tried to break into the building, the statement added.
Of note: Activists in Colorado have been highlighting the August 2019 death of Elijah McClain, who went into cardiac arrest after Aurora police officers held him in a chokehold and paramedics used a sedative, ketamine. He died after being taken off life support in the hospital having been declared brain dead.
- An inquiry into McClain's death has been reopened.
Go deeper: Protests intensify across U.S.
