More Than Twice As Many Arrested Protesting Breonna Taylor Verdict Than in Capitol Riots

Nearly 130 people were arrested in protests following the announcement of the verdict of the Breonna Taylor shooting case, which is more than double the 52 arrests made in the wake of violent riots at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.

Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, died in March after three Louisville police officers entered her Kentucky home to serve a warrant. Her partner, believing it was a home invasion, fired at the officers. Police returned fire, striking Taylor in the process.

Her death prompted an investigation of the officers involved. One officer was charged with three counts of wanton endangerment. None of the officers faced severer charges.

A total of 127 people were reported to have been arrested in Louisville in the night after the investigation's verdict was announced.

The protests in Washington, D.C. saw supporters of President Donald Trump storm the Capitol in protest of the certification of the 2020 presidential election.

Police Chief Robert Contee of Washington, D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department confirmed more than 52 people were arrested Wednesday, including 26 on Capitol grounds.

The arrests included 47 violations of the citywide curfew, which was enacted by Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser on Wednesday.

Four people died in connection with the Washington, D.C. protests, including a 35-year-old woman from San Diego who was shot by a Capitol police officer, Contee said.

Shattered glass, broken windows, damaged furniture and a ransacked office left in disarray formed the scene of the aftermath of the protests at the Capitol.

Last year saw months of protests across the country as part of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, which was reignited following the killing of George Floyd on May 25.

Floyd, an unarmed 46-year-old Black man, died in May during an arrest made by the Minneapolis Police Department after Derek Chauvin, a white officer, held Floyd to the ground with a knee to his neck for nearly eight minutes.

The death saw a series of protests across the globe in an outcry against police brutality and racial injustice.

By June 1, around 4,000 people in the U.S. were reported to have been arrested in protests over Floyd's death.

Over 250 protesters were arrested across the country in the days following the shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year Black man who was shot seven times in the back during an encounter in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in August last year.