Cicero (US): Two people were killed during unrest in the Chicago suburb of Cicero. This happened as protests continued to swell over the death of George Floyd, according to a town official here. The policeman involved in the killing of George Floyd has been booked for murder and also sacked.
Spokesman Ray Hanania says 60 people were arrested in the town of about 84,000 located west of Chicago. Hanania didn’t provide additional information about those killed or the circumstances of their deaths.
The Illinois State Police and Cook County Sheriff’s Office were called in to help local police Monday. There were some protesters who indulged in looting breaking into a liquor store and other offices.
Elsewhere in St Louis four police officers were hit by gunfire after protests that started peacefully Monday turned violent. Demonstrators were found smashing windows and stealing items from businesses and fires burning in the downtown area.
The police department tweeted early Tuesday that the officers were taken to a hospital with gunshot injuries. However, the ‘injuries’ were not believed to be life-threatening.
It was unclear who had fired the shots. The chaos in St Louis followed continued protests Monday in Missouri over the death of George Floyd. There were demonstrations against police treatment of African- Americans, with gatherings also held in Kansas City and Jefferson City.
Monday afternoon, several hundred people rallied peacefully outside the justice centre in downtown St. Louis. Protestors later walked to the Gateway Arch National Park and then onto nearby ‘Interstate 64’.
But later Monday, protesters gathered in front of police headquarters, where officers fired tear gas. Some protesters smashed windows at a downtown 7-11 store and stole items from inside before the building was set on fire.
AP