1 man fatally shot at downtown Louisville park, authorities say

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — One man died and another person was wounded during a shooting at a downtown park Saturday night in Louisville, Kentucky, authorities said.

Update 6:20 p.m. EDT June 28: Louisville police have apprehended the individual they believe is responsible for a Saturday night shooting that left one man dead during protests against police violence.

Police declined during a Sunday news conference to identify the suspected shooter, believed to have been a protester, but did identify Saturday night’s victim as Tyler Gerth, 27, of Louisville.

According to The New York Times, interim Louisville Metro Police Chief Robert Schroeder said the suspect had been arrested “a couple of times” in the past few weeks, while Mayor Greg Fischer said the suspect had been wounded and is hospitalized.

Original report: Metrosafe, Louisville’s 911 agency, originally reported “multiple victims” and said police were on the scene, WDRB reported.

Later, in a tweet, the Louisville Metro Police Department said Sheriff’s Department personnel were in the park “performing life-saving measures on a man who eventually died at the scene.”

Shortly thereafter, police received reports of another person shot at the Hall of Justice, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported. That person was taken to University Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

“Officers cleared the park completely and have secured the entire area so homicide detectives can conduct their investigation,” LMPD spokesman Lamont Washington wrote Saturday evening at 11:27 p.m. “Detectives are trying to gather as much information as possible in order to identify all who were involved in the incident.”

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said in a statement that he was “deeply saddened by the violence that erupted in Jefferson Square Park tonight, where those who have been voicing their concerns have been gathered.”

Video showed people running from Jefferson Square Park, with some hiding and others diving behind vehicles, the television station reported.

According to Louisville Metro Police Department spokesperson Lamont Washington, “We are currently working an active police situation at Jefferson Square Park.”

“We will get an update out as soon as we can,” Washington told the Courier-Journal. “Thanks for being patient.”

The square is the focal point for Louisville’s daily Black Lives Matter protests, the television station reported. It was unclear whether a demonstration was in progress when shots were fired around 9 p.m.

Earlier Saturday, hundreds of protesters assembled at the square, WLKY reported. Authorities said that until the shooting, the protests had been peaceful, the television station reported.

Tensions had risen by 10 p.m., however. That is when members of the Louisville Metro Police Department arrived in riot gear and were confronted by several people, the Courier-Journal reported.

Fifteen minutes later, police declared an unlawful assembly and asked the crowd that had gathered to leave the area, the newspaper reported.

Cox Media Group