Des Moines police use tear gas after George Floyd rally

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Des Moines police used tear gas to disperse a crowd of several hundred people who gathered Friday night near the downtown police headquarters after a peaceful rally earlier in the evening.

Live video by KCCI-TV showed police trying to talk with protesters at a rally several days after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis while in police custody. Floyd’s death that occurred after a white officer pressed a knee into his neck has led to nights of protests in Minneapolis and St. Paul that have spread to other cities around the country.

Organizers of a rally outside Des Moines police headquarters had asked people to leave after the hour-long event but some remained nearby, occasionally shouting slogans at police who were wearing helmets and holding shields.

Police fired tear gas about 9 p.m., leading many protesters to run into nearby streets. Several blocks near the station, less than a half-mile from the state Capitol, were blocked to motorists.