FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): For the second straight day, police fired tear gas at protesters gathered in downtown Fort Wayne to speak out over the death of George Floyd.
In a similar scenario to Friday’s events, the demonstration started out peacefully at the Allen County Courthouse lawn and carried on as such for several hours, before demonstrators started to move into the street at Main and Clinton. Police responded in riot gear as tempers flared:
This just happened. pic.twitter.com/MCy9Yr2LU2
— Petar Hood (@PetarFox55) May 30, 2020
At least one reporter was gassed multiple times. Demonstrators could be seen throwing the tear gas canisters back at police, according to our Partners in News at ABC 21.
Fort Wayne and Allen County police had promised a swift response to any trouble, in response to Friday night’s protest that became a riot, which led to the arrests of 29 people and damage to nearby vehicles and storefronts.
Mayor Tom Henry, Sheriff David Gladieux, and Police Chief Steve Reed all said Friday’s escalation was egged on by non-residents who had allegedly made that their goal.
Protesters Saturday chanted “you go home” at police when officers ordered the crowd to disperse and had declared the gathering was no longer lawful. At about 6pm, a second round of tear gas was deployed.
As of 9pm, protesters were still active, although police continued to fire tear gas in an effort to prevent large groups from gathering.
Stay safe, #FortWayne. The downtown area is a dangerous place to be right now. Lots of gas. @JGfortwayne
— David J. Gong (@GongNewsFW) May 31, 2020
Blue tear gas at the I&M plaza pic.twitter.com/7BrKJAtkwl
— Jamie_Duffy (@JDuffyatJG) May 31, 2020
