Governor Andy Beshear released an update late Saturday afternoon about the demonstrations in Louisville and the latest COVID-19 information.
Beshear said the demonstrations related to the death of Breonna Taylor started out peaceful but Friday night outside groups moved in and are trying to create violence and harm against peaceful demonstrators and law enforcement.
Taylor was shot and killed in the early morning hours on March 13 by officers with the Louisville Metro Police Department who entered her apartment to serve a warrant in connection to a drug trafficking investigation.
According to reports, Taylor, a 26-year old EMT, lived at the apartment with her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, who police said fired first when they entered, injuring an officer. Law enforcement officers returned fire Taylor was reportedly shot multiple times.
Beshear said Saturday morning he had deployed approximately 350 Kentucky National Guardsmen to help provide safety and protection to the citizens of Louisville that was expected again Saturday night.
The governor’s office also reported thereb were 247 new COVID-19 cases confirmed as of Saturday afternoon.
Beshear reported there were 283 new coronavirus cases Friday with data showing 37% of those cases were from long-term care, and another 9% of the cases were from congregate care settings, mainly the federal prison in Lexington.
The governor said they are also reviewing the data from the new cases reported on Saturday to see if the pattern is continuing, which is largely a result of the state’s expansive testing initiative in long-term facilities.
As of Saturday, there were approximately 9,704 total COVID-19 cases since the outbreak began, and at least 3,232 recoveries from the virus.
